Mississippi State's Jerkaila Jordan explained the celebration that led to a taunting technical

[ASFN Admin]

No. 9 seed Mississippi State topped No. 8 seed Cal, 59-46, in the first round of the 2025 women's NCAA tournament on Saturday, advancing to the second round on Monday when the Bulldogs will play No. 1 seed USC for a shot at the Sweet 16.

With 10 points, Mississippi State senior guard Jerkaila Jordan was one of three players on her team to finish with double-digit scoring against the Golden Bears. But one of the bigger storylines out of the first-round game was Jordan's technical foul for taunting.

With less than two minutes left in the first half, Jordan scored and was fouled after stealing the ball from Cal, as the Clarion Ledger noted. Following her layup, she celebrated my miming eating and quickly got a technical.

After the game, Jordan explained to ESPN that she was playing it up for the camera, but officials apparently thought she was taunting too close to a Cal player.

"They need to know we some dogs, man. ... We gon' eat."

Jerkaila Jordan after Mississippi State's first round win @HailStateWBKpic.twitter.com/MkNDedVCry

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 23, 2025

"I was playing to the camera. They said she was under me, but we gon' eat, you know what I'm saying? ... The ref said she was right there, so if she was right there, I respected the refs."

Mississippi State coach Sam Purcell addressed the technical foul after the game too. Via the Clarion Ledger:

"I think it's a double-edged sword sometimes," he said. "I think women aren't allowed to show the same emotion that men can sometimes. I understand the rule when you're taunting or you're trying to personalize it to the opposing team, but my young woman was doing it in front of the camera."

Our two cents: Let players have fun while playing games.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Mississippi State's Jerkaila Jordan explained the celebration that led to a taunting technical

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