Season alive and well for Bulldogs in WBIT

No matter the tournament, basketball season is still alive and well for Mississippi State women.

The Bulldogs missed out on the NCAA Tournament a couple of weeks ago but have responded in the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament. After blowing by Georgia Tech in round one, MSU knocked off TCU on Sunday afternoon and earned a date with No. 1 seed Penn State on the road tonight (5 p.m., ESPN+).

Coach Sam Purcell challenged his Bulldogs to attack this tournament with the same spirit that they would the Big Dance and it's worked to this point. A win tonight will pit MSU inside the Final

Four of the WBIT playing in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.

“This has been a great experience to be in this tournament,” Purcell said. “March should be a special time, especially for these young kids. We're watching them grow right in front of our eyes. For the seniors, they have professional opportunities ahead of them and camp is right around the corner, so they need to stay in shape. We're having a lot of fun right now.”

This particular postseason experience has certainly been good for some players individually. Freshman Jasmine Brown-hagger had the best game of her career as a Bulldog with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists against Georgia Tech.

Jessika Carter broke the school record for games played during MSU'S win over TCU with her 150th career contest. The star center also became the second-leading rebounder in school history in that game. Additionally, Lauren Parklane now owns the singleseason record for assists for the Bulldogs thanks to the extra games played.

While the individual work is great, MSU is focused on winning a championship and that will go through the Nittany Lions on the road. Coach Carolyn Kieger's team is much improved this season at 21-12 and finished out a tough Big Ten schedule at 9-9.

“We have our work cut out,” Purcell said. “It's really