STARKVILLE — Mississippi State women’s basketball coach Sam Purcell remembers when the Bulldogs hosted South Carolina at a packed Humphrey Coliseum during the height of Vic Schaefer’s tenure.

He has seen the photos of the immense crowds watching the game. He knows about the success achieved at MSU, highlighted by national championship appearances in 2017 and 2018. He’s dreamed about getting the Bulldogs back to the point.

“It might be crazy, but your boy is crazy,” Purcell said Sunday. “I believe it can happen.”

Purcell took a small step toward reaching those aspirations when MSU secured a 69-57 win against Ole Miss − Purcell’s first win against the in-state rival since arriving to Starkville in March 2022.

The victory came in front of an announced crowd of 7,101 fans at Humphrey Coliseum. It’s the biggest home crowd since Feb. 27, 2020, against Arkansas (7,256). That was the last home game under Schaefer.

“This is one of the best jobs in the country,” Purcell said. “Our fanbase is special.”

Reaching the success of Schaefer will take much more than one win against Ole Miss (12-5, 2-2 SEC) in three attempts. But it’s not an accomplishment taken lightly.

Schaefer did two things at Mississippi State (15-4, 2-2) that separated him from many coaches, across all sports, in Starkville. He won big in the postseason, and he dominated Ole Miss.

The Bulldogs didn’t lose to the Rebels in a 14-game stretch from Feb. 23, 2014, to Jan. 10, 2021. That momentum shifted Jan. 16, 2022, when Ole Miss won in Oxford. The Bulldogs were led by interim coach Doug Novak. It kickstarted three losses in four games against the Rebels and highlighted a downward spiral for the program.

Purcell was tasked with stopping that. He kept much of the roster intact after being hired and added key portal prospects such as Ahlana Smith and Ramani Parker, who came with him from Louisville. He didn’t beat Ole Miss – which reached the Sweet 16 last season – but he got MSU back to March Madness and led his team from the play-in to the second round.

For a first-time head coach, he showed he could assemble a roster and win in March. Beating Ole Miss wasn’t the lone hurdle, and perhaps not even the biggest one, to get Mississippi State to a level comparable to present-day South Carolina. But it’s one he needed to clear.

“We swept them last year, so I’m sure that those girls remember that,” Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said. “They played like it. I thought they deserved to win.”

As was the case Sunday, it’s apparent All-SEC forward Jessika Carter is a big piece if Mississippi State wants to accomplish its goals this season – and Purcell claims those are bigger than the one’s last year.

At 6-foot-5, Carter is among the conference’s top players when she finds a groove. She posted 23 points against the Rebels, including six in a fourth-quarter stretch when the Bulldogs went from down two to up five.

“Best post player in the country,” Purcell called her.

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Carter is the lone player on the roster left from Schaefer’s tenure. If Purcell isn’t shying away from setting the bar that high this season, it’s fitting she’ll be the key to unlocking those achievements.

She should also remember that while wins against Ole Miss are celebrated as much as any others, they become only footnotes to banners that are put up.

“This can’t define the rest of our season,” Purcell said.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: For Sam Purcell, Mississippi State women beating Ole Miss was signature win