Mississippi State Bulldogs at Illinois Fighting Illini
· NCAA Women's Championship pres. by Capital One - Greenville Regional 1 - First Four
70 - 56
Mississippi State women win First Four game over Illinois
Mississippi State (21-10) advances to the field of 64 to take on No. 6 seed Creighton. The Bulldogs improved to 14-3 in the NCAA Tournament since the 2016-17 season.
Freshman Debreasha Powe scored four points during Mississippi State's 11-2 run to begin the third quarter for a 42-32 lead. The Bulldogs extended it to 52-38 at the end of the quarter after shooting 53%. Kourtney Weber sank a 3-pointer to cap a 9-1 run to begin the fourth quarter for a 61-39 lead.
After Mississippi State's lead was cut to 12 points with 4:19 left, Carter scored four straight points to reach 20-plus for the sixth time this season.
JerKaila Jordan also scored 11 points for Mississippi State. Weber finished with eight points.
Carter scored 10 points in the first half to help build a 31-30 lead. Makira Cook scored 11 points for Illinois, which shot 48% from the field but didn’t attempt a free throw compared to Mississippi State’s 10 of 12.
Cook, averaging 18.2 points per game, scored 21 points and Genesis Bryant added 17 for Illinois (22-10), which had one of the best turnarounds in the country after finishing last season with a record of 7-20. Illinois’ first free throws of the game came with 5:35 left in the third quarter.
The Illini were making their eighth trip to the NCAA Tournament, the first since 2003.
How can I watch Bulldogs vs. Fighting Illini?
- TV Channel: Bulldogs vs Fighting Illini 2021 College Basketball, week 1, is broadcasted on ESPNU.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Recent Plays
| 4th 0:00 |  |
End of Game | 70 - 56 |
| 4th 0:04 |  |
Makira Cook made Layup. | 70 - 56 |
| 4th 0:12 |  |
Ahlana Smith Turnover. | 70 - 54 |
| 4th 0:26 | |
Jessika Carter Defensive Rebound. | 70 - 54 |
| 4th 0:26 | |
Makira Cook missed Free Throw. | 70 - 54 |
Statistics
 MSST |
ILL |
|
|---|---|---|
| 25-59 | FG | 22-58 |
| 42 | Field Goal % | 38 |
| 4-14 | 3PT | 4-20 |
| 29 | Three Point % | 20 |
| 16-21 | FT | 8-11 |
| 76 | Free Throw % | 73 |
| 47 | Rebounds | 28 |
| 16 | Offensive Rebounds | 7 |
| 31 | Defensive Rebounds | 21 |
| 15 | Assists | 5 |
| 6 | Steals | 8 |
| 6 | Blocks | 4 |
| 15 | Turnovers | 11 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 15 | Total Turnovers | 11 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 14 | Points Off Turnovers | 16 |
| 16 | Fast Break Points | 4 |
| 36 | Points in Paint | 22 |
| 14 | Fouls | 15 |
| 22 | Largest Lead | 3 |
Game Information
Location: South Bend, IN
Attendance: 466 | Capacity:
2025-26 Southeastern Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 15-1 | - | 36-4 |
| Texas | 13-3 | 2 | 35-4 |
| Vanderbilt | 13-3 | 2 | 29-5 |
| LSU | 12-4 | 3 | 29-6 |
| Oklahoma | 11-5 | 4 | 26-8 |
| Kentucky | 8-8 | 7 | 25-11 |
| Georgia | 8-8 | 7 | 22-10 |
| Ole Miss | 8-8 | 7 | 24-12 |
| Tennessee | 8-8 | 7 | 16-14 |
| Alabama | 7-9 | 8 | 24-11 |
| Texas A&M | 7-9 | 8 | 14-13 |
| Mississippi State | 5-11 | 10 | 18-13 |
| Florida | 5-11 | 10 | 18-15 |
| Missouri | 4-12 | 11 | 17-17 |
| Auburn | 3-13 | 12 | 15-17 |
| Arkansas | 1-15 | 14 | 12-20 |
2025-26 Big Ten Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 18-0 | - | 37-1 |
| Michigan | 15-3 | 3 | 28-7 |
| Iowa | 15-3 | 3 | 27-7 |
| Ohio State | 13-5 | 5 | 27-8 |
| Minnesota | 13-5 | 5 | 24-9 |
| Maryland | 11-7 | 7 | 24-9 |
| Michigan State | 11-7 | 7 | 23-9 |
| Washington | 10-8 | 8 | 22-11 |
| Illinois | 9-9 | 9 | 22-12 |
| USC | 9-9 | 9 | 18-14 |
| Oregon | 8-10 | 10 | 23-13 |
| Nebraska | 7-11 | 11 | 19-13 |
| Indiana | 6-12 | 12 | 18-14 |
| Wisconsin | 5-13 | 13 | 16-18 |
| Purdue | 5-13 | 13 | 13-17 |
| Penn State | 4-14 | 14 | 11-18 |
| Northwestern | 2-16 | 16 | 8-21 |
| Rutgers | 1-17 | 17 | 9-20 |