Connect with us

Mississippi

Women’s Basketball: Mississippi State shows no mercy on Mercer in blowout win

Published

on

Women’s Basketball: Mississippi State shows no mercy on Mercer in blowout win


STARKVILLE — Former Mississippi State assistant coach Michelle Clark-Heard returned to Humphrey Coliseum on Wednesday night as the head coach at Mercer, and her ex-boss, Sam Purcell, made sure it was a rude welcome home.

The Bulldogs limited their fourth straight opponent to under 50 points and have held all five teams they’ve played to under 30 percent shooting, defeating the Bears 81-44.

“We’re watching film, we’re trying to find every advantage we can,” Purcell said. “That stuff matters to us. That’s culture, that’s DNA. We train hard, we work hard, and we’re a multiple defensive team. I always say there’s bad coaches out there if you only play one style, and that’s not who we’re going to be. We can press, we can trap, so it makes it a nightmare for our opponents.”

Mercer did not make a 3-pointer until there were less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, finishing 1-for-17 from behind the arc. MSU (5-0) made more than half of its field goals and was 10-for-22 from deep, outscoring the Bears 44-14 in the paint.

Advertisement

Fifth-year senior guard Jerkaila Jordan entered the game having made just one 3-pointer on 15 attempts so far this season, but she made her first shot of the night from distance behind a screen in the final minute of the opening quarter. Jordan then blocked Hanna Knoll’s 3-point attempt on the other end, and Eniya Russell connected from long range to beat the buzzer and put the Bulldogs ahead by double digits.

Jordan recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and she was 3-for-4 from 3-point range, nailing a triple from each corner 33 seconds apart in the third quarter.

“She just needs to relax. That’s it,” Purcell said. “The kid’s a pro. She trains hard, she’s in the gym every single day. She knows what’s up. I haven’t said one thing to her. I knew it was going to finally end, I’m just glad it happened before we head on the road.”

Madina Okot had another big night in the post, tallying 15 points, eight boards, two blocks and two steals. The Kenyan is shooting 65 percent through five games in the maroon and white and is pulling down nearly 10 boards per contest.

“This has been my dream, and I just feel happy,” Okot said. “I’m just grateful for the team and for this coaching staff. They’re really doing great, I’m putting in work and they’re ready to support me to get everything I desire to get here.”

Advertisement

MSU already led by 20 at the half before winning the third quarter 32-7, finishing the period on an 18-2 run. The Bulldogs’ last four opponents have scored a total of 24 points in the third quarter.

Junior sharpshooter Debreasha Powe was also in double figures with 13 points, going 5-for-7 from the floor and 3-for-5 from behind the 3-point line. Destiny McPhaul had an efficient night as well, and Quanirah Montague had eight points in just 13 minutes of action. MSU shared the ball extremely well, with 26 assists on 33 made field goals.

“I was just locked in,” Montague said. “I was ready to get in the game, ready to have energy and bring energy to my team.”

The Bulldogs will not play in Starkville again until Dec. 29, following eight straight games away from The Hump. They are back in action Sunday against Jacksonville in Orlando, Florida, a neutral-site game that is part of the inaugural WBCA Showcase.

Wednesday’s win was No. 50 for Purcell in 73 games at MSU, making him the fastest coach in program history to reach that milestone.

Advertisement

“It’s all about the young women who step on the floor and sacrifice night in and night out,” Purcell said. “I’ve never scored a point here at Mississippi State. I’m fortunate to have a university that gave a first-time head coach an opportunity. You need one school to believe in you, so it means the world that Mississippi State believed in me.”

Mississippi State women’s basketball

Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Mississippi

GPS data tracks boat Mississippi teen Nolan Wells was on before he went missing

Published

on

GPS data tracks boat Mississippi teen Nolan Wells was on before he went missing


GPS data from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, obtained by CBS News, tracks the movements of the boat that carried Nolan Wells to Horn Island on July 4. Wells was found dead after going missing following an outing on the island.

The vessel left a dock at approximately 9:56 a.m. that morning and arrived at Horn Island at 11:14 a.m. CBS News has previously reported that Wells was not on the boat when it departed the island. 

According to the GPS data, the boat left Horn Island at 4:31 p.m. and returned to its original departure dock. It then traveled into Fort Bayou around 5:52 p.m. before returning to the dock at 6:06 p.m.

Later that evening, the boat went to the Fort Bayou boat launch at 7:19 p.m., according to the MSDMR report. From there, it traveled over land — presumably towed by a vehicle — to the Biloxi, Mississippi, residence of the boat’s owners. 

Advertisement

The MSDMR report indicates that the boat’s owner, his mother and one other individual who was reportedly with Wells on the day of the incident have cooperated with the investigation.

The department’s report ends on July 5, following notification that the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office would take over as the lead investigative agency.

This undated photo provided by the family in July 2026 shows Nolan Xavier Wells with his mother, Christine Wonsley.

Family photo via AP

Advertisement


Wells, 18, was last seen on July 4 on Horn Island, where he had taken a boat trip with friends to celebrate the holiday, officials said. Wells traveled to the island with his friends but did not return to the mainland with them that afternoon, Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter has said.

He was last seen on the island at 3 p.m., according to attorney Ben Crump’s office. His mother reported him missing later that night and a search began.

His body was discovered July 6 off the coast of the island, which is about 10 miles south of the Mississippi mainland, following a search that involved the U.S. Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the National Park Service.

Dental records confirmed the body was Wells, Jackson County coroner Bruce Lynd told CBS News. An autopsy took place on July 7, Lynd said, but the results were not immediately made public. Wells’ body was flown to Washington, D.C., for an independent autopsy, according to Crump. 

Wells’ parents have said they don’t believe their son would’ve stayed behind on the island by choice when his friends left by boat.

Advertisement

pic.jpg

Christine and Elmore Wonsley, the parents of Nolan Wells, spoke to “CBS Mornings” on Friday, July 10, 2026.

CBS News


“No, he wouldn’t. Nolan always stays with the group,” Elmore Wonsley, Nolan’s father, told “CBS Mornings” last week. “If you be with me, you come back with me. So that I don’t understand, and with me being a parent, if I was in that situation, I would have told them, ‘You’re going to get back on this boat with me because I don’t want to answer to your parents if something happens to you.’”

When directly asked if he believed Nolan was left behind on the island, his father responded, “Yes. I don’t believe he decided to stay on the island by himself. It just doesn’t — that’s not his character.”

Wells went to Ocean Springs High School and was a rising sophomore on Southwest Mississippi Community College’s football team. Crump said Wells was a good swimmer.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Mississippi

How permanent daylight saving time would impact Mississippi

Published

on

How permanent daylight saving time would impact Mississippi


play

Are Americans finally done changing the clocks twice a year? Congress moved a step closer to ending the ritual after the U.S. House passed legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent.

It hasn’t been approved by the Senate yet, but it did pass the House with broad support (308-117). If it passes the Senate, it could be signed by President Donald Trump or become law without his signature, unless he vetoes it.

Advertisement

Trump has previously backed ending twice-a-year time changes.

“I am going to work very hard to see The Sunshine Protection Act signed into Law. It’s time that people can stop worrying about the ‘Clock,’” he wrote in a May Truth Social post.

A few versions of the Sunshine Protection Act were introduced in Congress. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Florida, introduced the one that’s gaining ground last year.

Here’s what to know about daylight saving time and the move to change it.

What is daylight saving time and why do we use it?

Daylight saving time is the practice of setting clocks forward an hour from March until November in an effort to gain more sunlight during the summer months.

Advertisement

According to the Library of Congress, it was first enacted in 1918 as a fuel cost-saving measure during World War I.

Daylight saving time became federal law under the Uniform Time Act of 1966. Under the law, some states can opt to exempt themselves from daylight saving time.

Would Mississippi keep daylight saving time year-round?

In 2021, the Mississippi Legislature passed a law saying the state plans to stick with daylight saving time year-round. But that only takes effect if Congress changes the federal law to let states adopt it all the time. A bill updating the effective date died in committee in the 2026 session.

Nineteen states, including Mississippi, are ready to make daylight saving time permanent if Congress changes the law to make the twice-a-year time shift optional, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).

Advertisement

How later sunrises would affect Mississippi

Sunrise and sunset times in summer would look the same.

But the period from November to March would be different. The amount of daylight would be the same, just shifted an hour later than usual.

Mississippi could expect the latest winter sunrises around 7:59 a.m. in mid-January. The earliest sunsets would shift from about 4:46 p.m. in early December to 5:46 p.m., according to timeanddate.com.

Why permanent daylight saving time failed before

Yes. Congress did drop Daylight Saving Time before.

The move failed in 1974 after parents worried about kids going to school before dawn, risking more vehicle crashes.

Advertisement

Some parts of the country, like Michigan or Indiana, don’t see sunrise until after 9 a.m. with the permanent daylight saving time.

When clocks fall back in 2026

Clocks will “fall back” from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, unless Congress changes the law.

Daylight saving time ends on the first Sunday in November each year, under current law. That’s when we get back that missing hour of sleep from the spring time change.

Does Mississippi change clocks twice a year?

Yes. Mississippi, which is in the Central time zone, observes daylight saving time.

What time is it in Mississippi?

Visit timeanddate.com to see the current time in Jackson.

Advertisement

Which states don’t observe daylight saving time?

Most of the U.S. participates in daylight saving time except for Hawaii and most of Arizona. The Navajo Nation in the northeast corner of the state does participate.

Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with USA TODAY Network. Email her at bbolden@usatodayco.com.

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on X @melinakh and Instagram @bymelinakhan.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Mississippi

Mississippi teen accused of killing elderly couple had worked for them before shooting: family

Published

on

Mississippi teen accused of killing elderly couple had worked for them before shooting: family


A teenager in Mississippi knew the elderly couple he’s accused of killing before sparking a standoff with law enforcement, according to new testimony in court.

Cordarius Hobbs, 17, is charged with killing 74-year-old Billy Blair and his 71-year-old wife Virginia Carol Blair during a home break-in on June 3 in Mendenhall, Mississippi.

Family members of Hobbs testified during the Thursday preliminary hearing that he knew the couple.

Family members testified that Hobbs did work for the Blairs for things like cleaning around the house before the alleged shooting, according to WAPT.

Advertisement

Billy Newsome, Hobbs’ grandfather, said he believes his grandson was called to work on the day of the alleged shooting but believes he’s innocent.

“My grandson used to work for the man, why you gone rob a man that you work for,” Newsome said. “Why you gone stay there that long and you know the police out there, and then you gone wait until everybody gets there to run, it just ain’t adding up, something just ain’t right here.”

Cordarius Hobbs, 17, is charged with killing 74-year-old Billy Blair and his 71-year-old wife Virginia Carol Blair during a home break-in on June 3 in Mendenhall, Mississippi. Rankin County Jail

On June 3, three contractors installing a generator at the Blairs’ home discovered Carol Blair’s car door open with several guns on the seats around 10 a.m., prompting them to call the Simpson County Sheriff’s Department for a welfare check at 11:30 a.m, according to a Mississippi Bureau of Investigation investigator.

By noon, the investigator said that officers arrived and were met with shots fired at them, starting a nearly two-hour-long standoff.

Hobbs was captured after trying to run away from officers, the official said, adding that the teen was unarmed when he was caught.

Advertisement
Family members testified that Hobbs worked for Billy and Virginia Blair before they were found shot to death. Family Handout
Hobbs was captured after trying to run away from officers, the official said, adding that the teen was unarmed when he was caught. 16 WAPT News Jackson

Carol Blair was found in a bedroom curled in the fetal position and had three gunshots to the back of her head. Bill Blair was found lying on his back in the kitchen with three gunshot wounds to his face.

The state investigator said three firearms were found inside the home as well as 280 shell casings, all owned by Bill Blair.

Hobbs’ defense attorney, Zachary Vaugh, argued that there’s a lack of direct forensic evidence connecting the teenager to the shooting.

Hobbs is charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of burglary, in addition to 10 other charges. He was denied bond. WLBT

“There was nothing to say he’s a principal, he’s the one that pulled the trigger on these things,” Vaugh said. “One of the things alone was, one of the victims was shot twice on one side of the head and once on the other. I think that’s pretty compelling that somebody else may have been in there. There’s a lot of things that are possible, just a tremendous amount of things.”

“When you have an officer say there’s no one that can identify him at the time of the shooting, I just don’t see how that adds up,” he said.

Advertisement

Hobbs is charged with two counts of capital murder and one count of burglary, in addition to 10 other charges. He was denied bond.

In a statement on Facebook, the couple’s family previously said, “We are crushed in spirit, bruised, and brokenhearted, but we are not alone.”

Jason Busby, who was friends with the couple, remembered them as being extremely selfless when speaking with WLBT.

“The man would’ve given you the shirt off his back, his wife is the same, and they’re just great people. It’s just a tragedy,” Busby said. “Everybody around here is still in shock. They were just good people.”

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending