The season came to an end for head coach Sam Purcell and the Mississippi State women’s basketball team on Monday night, falling to USC in the NCAA Tournament round of 32.
The game was all Trojans as top-seeded USC went on to win 96-59, even with star guard JuJu Watkins leaving in the first quarter with a season-ending knee injury. Kiki Iriafen stepped up with a career performance that included 36 points and nine rebounds. USC had four other players score in double digits: Avery Howell (18), Kayleigh Heckel (13), Rayah Marshall (12), and Kennedy Smith (10).
Mississippi State’s Jerkalia Jordan led the nine-seed Bulldogs with 17 points on 6 of 24 shooting. Eniyah Russell added 11 points, while Madina Okot had 8 points and a team-high 6 rebounds.
The Bulldogs finish the 2024-25 campaign with a 22-12 record, making for the third consecutive 20-plus win season under Purcell. It was the program’s second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years and 13th all time.
