College Basketball

Mississippi State basketball staff aids woman after car accident

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:44 p.m. ET

Sports Illustrated, SI Wire/Sports Illustrated

The Mississippi State men’s basketball team came to the aid of a woman in a car accident on Friday, helping her out of the vehicle after it flipped on a slippery road.

ESPN reports her vehicle skidded across the highway before turning over. The basketball team was on the road to a game at LSU, and their bus was in the immediate vicinity as the accident happened. Head coach Ben Howland and two other staffers exited the bus immediately to assist, Howland telling players to remain on board in case another vehicle slid on the road and caused another accident.

“We were worried this thing was going to explode," Howland told ESPN. "It was really scary.”

Howland, director of operations Michael Moynihan and strength coach David Deets eventually extracted the woman from the vehicle. She was not seriously injured, but was initially unconscious before crying out for help.

“It's really a blessing she walked away from that," said Howland, who called to check on the woman prior to Saturday's game. "The car was totaled. I'm really thankful we weren't seeing something that was more of a disaster. Wearing her seatbelt saved her life.”