NICEVILLE, FLA. — Freshman forward Madison Francis tied a career high with 17 points, while setting a tournament record with six blocked shots, as Mississippi State stopped Middle Tennessee State, 69-47, to capture the championship of the Bay Bracket of the Emerald Coast Classic at Northwest Florida State College Tuesday.
The Bulldogs, who improved their record to 6-1, shot 55.1 percent from the floor, hitting a blistering 70 percent (7-10) to close out the game in the fourth quarter.
“I’m thankful to this community, this tournament,” said Mississippi State coach Sam Purcell. “It holds a special place in my heart. I’ve been coming to Destin for vacation for 20 years. So, to be able to bring a lot of my young women here for the first time to see what a beautiful community and tournament this is. It will be something that I will go back and tell my administration that as long as we are invited back, we would like to attend every year if possible.
This marked the first meeting between the schools since Dec. 1, 2014 when Middle Tennessee earned a 62-48 victory in Naples, Fla.
“Shoutout to Middle Tennessee State as well, ” Purcell added. “I thought it was a great game of women’s basketball. It’s a program with a rich history and I have so much respect for the Insell’s and who they are as people. MTSU is a young team, and they play fearless. It was a huge win for our kids and I’m thankful for the opportunity.”Madison, who led the Bulldogs with 15 points and six rebounds in their opening round 65-51 win against Alcorn State Monday, was named the most valuable player in the Bay Bracket. She was joined on the all-tournament team by junior guard Destiney McPhaul who had nine points and a game-high five assists for Mississippi State.
“She’s (Madison Francis) fearless,” said Purcell. “Most young women who come in as freshmen only care about scoring and where she is off to such a great start is on the defensive end. The young lady can pursue the ball as well as anyone in the country for blocked shots. She has the quickest quick twitch fiber to get out in passing lanes to get easy scoring opportunities. I can’t wait to continue to watch the journey that she is on now.”
Mississippi State used its superior size to dominate the inside, scoring 42 points in the paint. Forward Favour Nwaedozi and guard Chandler Prater each contributed 13 points.
The Bulldogs also outrebounded Middle Tennessee State, 30-24, while forcing 19 turnovers.
Guards Macie Phifer and Savannah Davis led Middle Tennessee State (3-4) with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Phifer grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. The Blue Raiders shot 35.6 percent from the floor (16-45) including 33.3 percent in the first, second and fourth quarters.
Middle Tennessee State guard Alayna Contreras was also named to the all-tournament team. She had 22 points in the Blue Raiders opening round win against Providence and scored nine against Mississippi State.
