Mississippi State women's basketball vs. New Mexico: Live updates
Mississippi State women's basketball coach Sam Purcell had plenty he wanted his team to work on ahead of Monday's game against Old Dominion.
The defense wasn't as dominant as he hoped. The offense was too sloppy. The excitement was lacking. His solution? A day off.
When Mississippi State arrived in Tampa this week for the Sun Coast Challenge, Purcell surprised the team by making an announcement on the bus. He told players practice was canceled and instead the team spent the day at local amusement park Busch Gardens.
The strategy worked. Mississippi State (10-2) thumped Old Dominion (8-4) en route to an 83-47 Quadrant 3 win. The Bulldogs were led by Ahlana Smith, who had a career-high 23 points. The other four starters each scored eight points while Denae Carter (10) and Asianae Johnson (16) scored in double figures off the bench.
MSU now looks to follow that up with a win against New Mexico (6-4) on Wednesday (12 p.m., Baller TV) in Tampa. As quick as the turnaround is for MSU, it'll be even tougher for New Mexico. The Lobos faced Old Dominion on Tuesday.
PURCELL:Why Sam Purcell reached out to Vic Schaefer when hired by Mississippi State basketball
ANASTASIA HAYES:Why Mississippi State women's basketball guard Anastasia Hayes is embracing new roles
How to watch Mississippi State women's basketball vs. New Mexico
Mississippi State vs. New Mexico will be streamed on Baller TV and is scheduled to start at noon Wednesday.
Mississippi State women's basketball score vs. New Mexico: Live updates
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 score vs. New Mexico: Live updates
