Sam Purcell Opens Up About 'Unacceptable' Third Quarter vs. Tennessee
The Mississippi State women's basketball team appeared to be on the way to its third straight SEC victory during the dominant first quarter against Tennessee on Thursday evening. But after the Lady Volunteers won the second quarter battle by four, a momentum shift began to swing heavily in their direction.
Tennessee outscored Mississippi State 21-5 in the third quarter. The Lady Volunteers couldn't be stopped on the inside and the charity stripe, as they quickly gained and expanded on a lead.
The Bulldogs' third-quarter offense turned into an even worse version of the Lady Volunteers' first-quarter performance, as Mississippi State converted on just 2-of-13 attempts and committed four turnovers. This eventually led to a 75-64 loss.
Mississippi State head coach Sam Purcell opened up about the disastrous fourth quarter during the postgame press conference.
"I thought they were very physical," Purcell said. "I thought they allowed the game to get really tough. They took us out of our sets, we missed layups and free throws. I've seen that behavior before where we value our Mississippi State defense, I thought it was all because of buckets. Too many turnovers, sloppy play and it's unacceptable."
Purcell said that he isn't looking forward to the next film session.
"It's one that it was our game and we tried everything," Purcell said. "We called timeouts and sets, fouls didn't go our way, but you have to be the tougher team and unfortunately we weren't."
Purcell explained how Tennessee's 14 second-chance points were key to the Lady Volunteers' comeback and lead expansion, but his team's shooting woes were also a major contributor.
"It just comes to accountability and looking at each other. Stop, score, stop. We just couldn't get that mentality. It was just one of those nights that the team didn't click and unfortunately took an L."
Although he isn't excited for the first film session, he sees some positives for the next few.
"Film is going to be great. (They'll say) 'Hey, I could've helped here, and it's going to be about all the little things.' Box-outs, not repeating a call, I think there were four possessions where I told my staff 'Guys aren't executing,' and some kid will say 'Well I didn't hear it.' That's when you're caught up in the wrong stuff and those little things affect winning."
Mississippi State is aiming to rebound against Florida, its next opponent, on Monday, Jan. 22.
