Sam Purcell recalls unforgettable night for Mississippi State after upset of No. 9 LSU: ‘This is stuff you dream about’

Sam Purcell understands the magnitude of a huge upset like his Mississippi State team delivered Monday night.

State delivered a crushing upset of No. 9 LSU, 77-73, thanks to 19 points from Darrione Rogers and Mjracle Sheppard as Mississippi State handed LSU its second straight defeat, and its third loss in 5 games.

“This is stuff you dream about,” Purcell said. “I know my staff, the people of this community, administration. You gotta remember you hired a coach who’d never been a head coach. And there’s always doubts, sometimes you have doubts in yourself. But my family has my back, this team has my back. You live for these moments. People didn’t have to show up. We’re not ranked, alright, but we’re Dawgs, alright, and I’ve got a group of young women that fight, and they showed up like no other. It’s just a magical night that we’ll never forget.”

Jerkaila Jordan scored 15 of her 24 points in the second half for Mississippi State, which improved to 17-5 overall and 4-3 in the SEC.

One of the defensive highlights was Sheppard bottling up LSU All-American guard Hailey Van Lith to just 4 points.

“This is stuff you dream about”

Sam Purcell on an unforgettable night: pic.twitter.com/YfGFueQUXc

— Grace Ybarra (@gnybarra) January 30, 2024

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Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.