Mississippi State women's basketball beats Creighton in March Madness' first 11-seed upset

Stefan Krajisnik, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
·2 min read

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Those in charge of the music at Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion couldn’t have known, but by blasting Whitney Houston between the third and fourth quarters on Friday, they were igniting the soundtrack of Mississippi State women’s basketball’s season.

With MSU (22-10) already ahead of Creighton (22-9) by 20 and a mascot dance-off taking center stage, Houston’s hit “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” echoed through the arena. Student managers and relatives sitting behind Mississippi State’s bench erupted as their theme song came on.

If there was any doubt about the result, it was put to rest there. It was Mississippi State’s night in the Round of 64 and not Creighton’s. Behind a final score of 81-66, the Bulldogs secured the NCAA Tournament’s first 11-6 upset.

Coach Sam Purcell's squad is still dancing. A date with 3-seed Notre Dame (26-5) awaits on Sunday (2:30 p.m., ESPN).

GROUP CHAT:How an SEC text thread fueled Sam Purcell, Mississippi State women in March Madness opener

BROOKLYN TO STARKVILLE:How Asianae Johnson sparked Mississippi State women's basketball's March Madness return

WHO'S NEXT:What Sam Purcell said about Mississippi State women's basketball signing class members

Mississippi State controls the arc early

Creighton ranked second in the Big East with a 36.5% clip from beyond the arc and 770 3-point attempts. Though its percentage was only one point above Mississippi State’s, the Bulldogs had 262 fewer attempts from deep.

However, it was Mississippi State, after shooting 4-of-14 from deep against Illinois in the First Four, utilizing the arc in the first half. MSU converted 8-of-12 attempts from deep en route to building a lead as large as 17.

The Bluejays made just one of their first eight attempts and 4-of-14 before the break.

Guard JerKaila Jordan paced Mississippi State’s opening half with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting (3-of-3 from deep). Five Bulldogs converted from range with freshman Debreasha Powe hitting a couple in the game’s opening minute.

Mississippi State players celebrate on the bench during the first half of a first-round college basketball game against Creighton in the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 17, 2023, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Michael Caterina)
Mississippi State players celebrate on the bench during the first half of a first-round college basketball game against Creighton in the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 17, 2023, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Michael Caterina)

Jessika Carter’s return to March keeps building

Forward Jessika Carter is the lone player left on MSU’s roster from the 2018-19 season – Mississippi State’s last March Madness appearance. She played just 25 minutes in the 2019 NCAA Tournament and hasn’t had the chance since to show off in The Big Dance.

That has changed in South Bend as Carter followed up her 22-point outing against Illinois with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three assists Friday.

Carter is four inches taller than the tallest Creighton player, and MSU put the size advantage to work. Even when Carter wasn’t scoring in the post, she was drawing multiple defenders and finding open teammates.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi State women's basketball upsets Creighton in March Madness