MSU crushes Creighton 81-66 to advance

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Jerkaila Jordan scored 20 and led No. 11 seed Mississippi State to an 81-66 win against No. 6 Creighton in the women's NCAA Tournament on Friday night.

Jessika Carter, the 6-5 Bulldog center, took advantage of the Bluejays' undersized frontcourt, with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Anastasia Hayes chipped in 12 points and seven assists. Ahlana Smith and Asianae Johnson each added 10 points.

“What a special group of young women,” MSU head coach Sam Purcell said. “I've got the best seat in the house.

They've got that look. We talked about coming up here and getting that championship DNA.”

Lauren Jensen scored 22 points to lead Creighton (22-9), which made a run to the regional final last season. Emma Ronsiek scored 21 points, hitting 3 of 6 shots from beyond the arc, but the rest of the Bluejays shot just 28% from the field

"They were the better team," Creighton coach Jim Flanery said. “I'm proud of our team. Not to discredit them, but this wasn't the best of what we have shown this year.”

The Bulldogs picked up their second NCAA Tournament

victory in Purcell's inaugural season. Mississippi State defeated Illinois in a First Four matchup on Wednesday.

Mississippi State (23-10) will face No. 3 Notre Dame (26-5) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. The Fighting Irish are hosting first and second-round NCAA games this weekend.

“We don't mind being the underdog,” Smith said. “I think it makes us work harder. We understand that there's a lot at stake, but we love being the underdog. It's great. The pressure is not on us, so we're able to play free, play confidently and for each other.”