The Mississippi State basketball team took a bus to its game at LSU this weekend because of a malfunctioning de-icing machine at the Columbus airport, and a woman whose vehicle slipped of the highway was lucky it did.
On their bus ride to Baton Rouge on Friday, coach Ben Howland and his team saw an SUV skid of the road and flip several times.
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"She just spun out and went flying off the road," Howland told ESPN. "There were multiple tumbles and turns."
Howland, along with director of operations Michael Moynihan and strength coach David Deets, got off the bus and made their way toward the car. Players wanted to join the coaches at the scene, but Howland told them to say to put for concern of another car sliding into them or the SUV exploding.
The driver — a nurse from McComb, Miss., named Carolyn Ashley — at first was unresponsive but woke up when Deets banged on her door.
"Get me out here!" she pleaded.
Deets and Moynihan were able to pull Ashley out of the car through the back door on the driver’s side, Howland said. Ashley was disoriented and sore but had no serious injuries, according to the report.
Ashley was helped by Mississippi State players and staff onto the bus, where she waited for medical personnel. Once help arrived, the team got back on the road to Baton Rouge.
The good deed was rewarded. Mississippi State beat LSU 95-78 on Saturday for its biggest conference road win in a long time.
MSU’s last 20-point SEC road win was at . . . LSU in 2008.
— MSU Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) January 7, 2017