No Place Like Home: No. 5 MSU Hosts Alabama State Tuesday

STARKVILLE, Miss. – "There's no place like home." That is true for a No. 5 Mississippi State women's basketball team that returns from a month on the road to host Alabama State at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The game comes just hours after State hosts its special Christmas Hail State Hoops Luncheon in Mize Pavilion at 11:30 a.m.

Bart Gregory and Charlie Winfield will handle the call online on the SEC Network +, while Jason Crowder will handle radio duties on WKBB-FM 100.9. Live audio will be available on hailstate.com/plus.

Tuesday's game will be Dollar Night at the Hump, with tickets and hot dogs each costing $1. As with all Hail State Hoops home games, youth ages 18 and under get in free. Prior to the game, fans can have pictures taken with Santa Claus and the Golden Egg.

Halftime of that game will also give fans the opportunity to give to children in need with a special Teddy Bear Toss presented by BancorpSouth. Fans are asked to bring stuffed teddy bears to the game, and at halftime, will be invited to throw them onto the court to be collected and donated to local children via the Salvation Army and Le Bonheur Children's Hospital.

Fans can also get special experiences through Maroon Memories (hailstate.com/memories).

Vic Schaefer's fifth-ranked Bulldogs return home 12-0 after defeating SMU and USC to win the Women of Troy Classic championship over the weekend in Los Angeles. The trip wrapped the road portion of a non-conference slate that has seen MSU travel over 17,000 miles.

State enters Tuesday's game the only undefeated team in the SEC and one of just 11 teams nationally without a loss.

Alabama State comes to town 1-7 on the year after dropping a road decision at Ohio State on Friday.

PROMOTIONS

Teddy Bear Toss presented by BancorpSouth – Bring a plush teddy bear to toss onto the court at halftime
Dollar Night – $1 tickets and $1 hot dogs. Youth 18 & under get in free
Bully's Kidz Kourt – 6-6:45 p.m. in Mize Pavilion
Pictures with Santa and the Golden Egg
Halftime story on the court with Santa

SERIES vs. ALABAMA STATE

Mississippi State meets Alabama State for the fourth time. The Bulldogs have won the previous three meetings by an average of 34.6 ppg.
All of the meetings against the Hornets have come in Starkville, with the last being the 2013-14 season.
In that game, Kendra Grant scored 16 points while then-freshman Dominique Dillingham tallied 13.

ABOUT THE HORNETS

Alabama State brings a 1-7 record to Starkville. The Bulldogs will be the second-straight Top 15 team the Hornets have faced after they dropped a 118-61 decision at Ohio State last Friday.
ASU shoots 31.6% from the field and 19.9% from 3-point range.
Britney Wright paces Alabama State with 13.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Daniele Ewert also averages double figures in scoring with 10.6 ppg.

NEXT UP FOR THE DAWGS

The Bulldogs break for Christmas before returning to the Hump Dec. 28 for the non-conference finale against Northwestern State.
That game will also be $1 Night, with tickets and hot dogs each costing $1.
State jumps into SEC play Jan. 1, hosting LSU before heading back on the road to face Arkansas (Jan. 5) and Tennessee (Jan. 8).

BULLDOG BITES

Tuesday's game is MSU's first home game since Nov. 20. State's 11 games away from home is most in the nation, as are its six wins in true road contests.
MSU capped 17,190 miles of non-conference travel by winning its third tournament of the season with the Women of Troy Classic. State defeated SMU 91-42 and host USC 76-72.
State's 12-0 record is the third-best start in school history. The Bulldogs are the only undefeated team in the SEC and one of 11 nationally. State is one of only three teams in the Top 10 of the NCAA RPI (UConn and Utah) without a loss.
Mississippi State has won 40 of its last 41 regular-season non-conference games going back to 2014-15. That tally includes 20-straight victories. The only loss came last season at Texas.
Mississippi State remained No. 5 in Monday's Associated Press poll. The No. 5 ranking is the highest in school history. State is No. 4 in the NCAA RPI following Sunday.
MSU has held five opponents below 50 points and 10 below 70 this season. State is fourth in the SEC and 35th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 55.5 ppg.
The Bulldogs average 79.2 ppg this season, second-most in the SEC and 28th in the nation.
MSU is shooting the best it has to start a season under Vic Schaefer. The Dawgs shoot 47.5% for the year, tops in the SEC and 17th in the country. State shot 47.2% in L.A. this weekend.
The Bulldogs also shot the 3-pointer well in Los Angeles, hitting 16 of 35 (45.7%). MSU hits 38.9% from the arc for the season, second in the SEC and No. 21 in Division I.
Despite coming up short in the turnover battle for the first time this year, MSU is third in the conference and 12th nationally with a +7.3 turnover margin.
Morgan William was named MVP for the Women of Troy Classic. She averaged 14.5 points and shot 62.5% from the field for the two games. She was also 8 of 9 at the free-throw line. Against USC she scored 10 points in the second half, including six in the final five minutes.
Victoria Vivians was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 16.0 ppg. On Sunday, Vivians moved up to 10th on MSU's career scoring list with 1,298 points.
Breanna Richardson had 17 points, nine rebounds Sunday. She is averaging 11.0 points and 6.5 rebounds her last four games.
In last week's three road games, Blair Schaefer averaged 11.0 points, shooting 58.8% from the field and 61.5% from 3-point range. She scored a career-high 18 points against SMU.

No Place Like Home: No. 5 MSU Hosts Alabama State Tuesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dominique Dillingham

Breanna Richardson

Blair Schaefer

Victoria Vivians

Morgan William

Mississippi State University Athletics

No Place Like Home: No. 5 MSU Hosts Alabama State Tuesday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Dominique Dillingham

Breanna Richardson

Blair Schaefer

Victoria Vivians

Morgan William

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