March Madness: Mississippi State beats California 59-46 behind Okot's double-double

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Madina Okot had 14 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out late and ninth-seeded Mississippi State beat California 59-46 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

Eniya Russell added 14 points for the Bulldogs (22-11), who are back in March Madness for the first time in two years. They lost in the national title game in 2017 and 2018.

“I think what everyone just witnessed was our best defensive effort of the season,” Bulldogs coach Sam Purcell said.

The Bulldogs improved their shooting to 50% in the second half when they outscored the Bears 15-10 in the third and 18-17 in the fourth. They had 15 steals.

“Physicality and rebounding wins us games. I don’t think they were used to that,” Russell said. “I definitely think our defense disrupted them.”

Michelle Onyiah led the eighth-seeded Golden Bears with 17 points and 15 rebounds despite four fouls. Lulu Twidale added 13 points before fouling out in the final seconds.

The Bears were just 3 of 21 from 3-point range, with Twidale missing 6 of 7 and Ioanna Krimili missing 8 of 10.

“There were just too many people who couldn't get into a groove and that meant we couldn't survive the turnovers and missed shots,” Bears coach Charmin Smith said.

Cal's only lead was by one point in the first quarter, when the Bears managed just five points. They recovered to play the Bulldogs evenly in the second but trailed 26-19 at halftime.

“Us not being able to score definitely set us back," Twidale said. “Most of us, it was the first time in tournament. I’m proud we were able to keep fighting to the end.”

The Bears (25-9) capped their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference by making the NCAAs for the first time since 2019, when current USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb was in charge.

“I think we put Cal basketball back on the map,” Smith said.

The Bears got within six in the third quarter only to see the Bulldogs close on a 9-3 run to lead 41-29 going into the fourth. Four players scored in the spurt.

The Bears committed 24 turnovers and got outscored 32-18 in the paint and 15-0 in bench points.

Mississippi State will play JuJu Watkins and top-seeded USC in the second round on Monday at Galen Center. The Bulldogs last made the Sweet 16 in 2019.

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

California forward Ugonne Onyiah, left, goes to the basket against Mississippi State center Madina Okot (15) during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Mississippi State center Madina Okot (15) drives to the basket against California forward Marta Suarez (7) during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

NEWARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 24, 2025--

PLM Fleet, the nation’s largest technology-driven refrigerated trailer fleet management company, welcomes Brad Jacobs to its leadership team. Brad joins PLM with over 20 years of leadership experience in fleet management and customer solutions.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250324197535/en/

"We are incredibly pleased to welcome Brad to PLM. His leadership will be instrumental in driving innovation, enhancing our customers’ experience, and delivering new solutions to our refrigerated fleet product portfolio. At PLM, we’re committed to expanding the boundaries of what’s possible with refrigerated trailer management, and Brad has a clear vision and proven track record of delivering transformative projects," said Keith Shipp, President and CEO of PLM Fleet.

Brad brings extensive leadership experience in the North American fleet industry, having most recently driven historic growth at Merchants Fleet, where he led product development, technology, and client consulting. At PLM, Brad will oversee technology and IT, marketing, and personalized customer solutions. He will be based at PLM’s Fleet Solutions Center headquarters in Newark, NJ.

"PLM's commitment to its clients is central to its success, driving innovation and encouraging creative thinking beyond traditional limits," said Jacobs. "I deeply appreciate this client-focused approach and am excited to join the company at such a pivotal moment, working alongside some of the brightest talents in the industry."

PLM Fleet, known for innovating refrigerated fleet management, leads the cold supply chain industry in customer-specific refrigerated solutions, and can be found at plmfleet.com.

About PLM Fleet, LLC

PLM Fleet ® is the largest nationwide, technology-driven company dedicated to refrigerated trailer leasing and cold supply chain solutions. Located in the state-of-the-art fleet solutions center in Newark, NJ, PLM Fleet has 33 locations nationwide and over 15,000 refrigerated trailers. Visit plmfleet.com to review all the financing, technology and services that help our customers improve fleet and product lifecycle efficiencies and cost savings in the cold supply chain.

Brad Jacobs Appointed VP of Technology and Customer Solutions at PLM Fleet