Monday night’s historic Mississippi State women’s hoops game will likely have lasting effects on college basketball but it had an immediate impact this week on a major piece to the program.

The No. 2 Bulldogs were hard after UConn freshman transfer Andra Espinoza-Hunter and hosted the former five-star recruit on an official visit starting last Sunday. That included Monday’s big game which would eventually make the biggest impression on her.

“Interacting with coach (Vic) Scahefer and the rest of the coaching staff, I was just in awe,” Espinoza-Hunter. "The campus is beautiful and the fans are extremely supportive. Coach Schaefer will be able to develop me as a person and player. The way the fans were and how close they were with the girls was amazing. I knew that was the exact place I was supposed to be.”

So Espinoza-Hunter ended her recruitment on Tuesday night announcing for the Bulldogs without taking the rest of her visits. She had become coveted even the second time around since her announcement to leave Storrs with Louisville, Duke and Ohio State among teams trying to get her signature.

MSU changed all of that.

“I was set on taking all of my visits but seeing the campus for the first time, it was a done deal,” Espinoza-Hunter said. “I was shocked by the southern hospitality. You see it in TV, movies and books but literally everyone down there has southern hospitality.

“Coach and the girls were telling me that the fans were amazing but Connecticut was such a big basketball school I didn’t know what to expect. I have never seen anything like that.”

Just over a year ago, Espinoza-Hunter was one of the most coveted recruits in the country. ESPN had her as the nation’s No. 16 prospect and the New York Gatorade Player of the Year. She averaged a stunning 36.9 points per game, 6.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.0 steals a game over her high school career.

This past season with UConn, Espinoza-Hunter played seven games for the country’s top team. She averaged 2.0 points in seven games before leaving the school because she said "it wasn’t a good fit."

It didn’t take Schaefer long to watch film on Espinoza-Hunter and realize she could make an immediate impact in Starkville. The Bulldogs made contact shortly after she announced her intentions and the pressure came.

“You’re talking about a highly-skilled player that can do a lot of different things. When I see her on film, I see a lot of what (Victoria Vivians) does. She's a big guard that can do a lot of different things. She’s hard to defend,” Schaefer said. “I love the kid’s presence on the visit here. I think she really fits in with the character of our kids. We’re really excited about her.”

With the Bulldogs losing four senior guards this year, early playing time was an easy selling point. Though she will have to sit out a full season and miss all of next year, Espinoza-Hunter is expected to be the focal point of MSU’s offense in 2019-2020.

“Probably stepping in and being a playmaker is where I fit the best,” Espinoza-Hunter said. “Hopefully I will fill the shoes that (Victoria Vivians), (Morgan William), Blair (Schaefer) and (Roshunda Johnson) will leave. Tori is such an amazing player and hopefully I can reach some of the heights she has.

“My biggest strength is scoring. Shooting is my strong point. I also try to get my teammates involved. I focused on that my senior year and got better at that.”

Before Espinoza-Hunter gets to Starkville, she’s taking online courses and practicing basketball daily. The University announced her signing to the program on Wednesday and all that remains is her enrollment in the summer. She’s happy for the future.

“I’m just excited to be apart of the program and keep the tradition going,” Espinoza-Hunter. “The girls have done such an amazing job and I just can’t wait to help keep that going.”