Thursday, February 2
Auburn, Ala.
8:00 PM
Mississippi State
at
Auburn
No. 5/4 MSU Seeks 10th Road Win Thursday At Auburn
February 01, 2017 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Winning on the road is tough, but No. 5/4 Mississippi State has the opportunity to claim its 10th road win of the season on Thursday as it heads to Auburn for a challenging SEC women's basketball showdown.
Tip is set for 8 p.m. at Auburn Arena, with the SEC Network broadcasting the contest to a national audience. Fans can also listen in the Golden Triangle area on WKBB-FM 100.9 and in the Corinth, Tupelo and Oxford areas on WCNA-FM 95.9. Live audio streams will also be available on www.hailstate.com/plus and the TuneIn app.
The Bulldogs open the second half of the SEC slate 7-1 and a half game back of South Carolina for the conference lead. State boasts a 21-1 overall record, a win total that is tied for the most in the nation this season.
State rebounded from its first loss of the season last Monday at South Carolina with a 71-61 win against Texas A&M. Victoria Vivians, whose 18.1 ppg ranks third in the SEC in conference play, paced MSU with 18 points. Morgan William and Teaira McCowan added 10 points each, and William also dished an SEC personal-best nine assists.
Auburn returns home from a 66-55 road win at Alabama that improved the Tigers to 15-7 overall, 5-3 in the league.
SERIES VS. AUBURN
Tip is set for 8 p.m. at Auburn Arena, with the SEC Network broadcasting the contest to a national audience. Fans can also listen in the Golden Triangle area on WKBB-FM 100.9 and in the Corinth, Tupelo and Oxford areas on WCNA-FM 95.9. Live audio streams will also be available on www.hailstate.com/plus and the TuneIn app.
The Bulldogs open the second half of the SEC slate 7-1 and a half game back of South Carolina for the conference lead. State boasts a 21-1 overall record, a win total that is tied for the most in the nation this season.
State rebounded from its first loss of the season last Monday at South Carolina with a 71-61 win against Texas A&M. Victoria Vivians, whose 18.1 ppg ranks third in the SEC in conference play, paced MSU with 18 points. Morgan William and Teaira McCowan added 10 points each, and William also dished an SEC personal-best nine assists.
Auburn returns home from a 66-55 road win at Alabama that improved the Tigers to 15-7 overall, 5-3 in the league.
SERIES VS. AUBURN
- Mississippi State and Auburn will be meeting for the 55th time on Thursday. It will be the eighth meeting since Vic Schaefer has been head coach of the Bulldogs.
- MSU is 4-3 against the Tigers under Schaefer, including a 59-48 win the last time the teams met in Auburn arena. State won last season's meeting 60-45 in the Hump on Jan. 7, 2016.
- The Bulldogs have won the last three meetings and six of the last nine in the series.
- Auburn returns home following a 66-55 win at Alabama that improved the Tigers to 15-7 overall and 5-3 in SEC play. The win also comes after AU dropped back-to-back games against Kentucky and Missouri.
- The Tigers have three players averaging double figures for the season, with Katie Frerking leading the way with 16.2 ppg. Brandy Montgomery averages 14.5 ppg while Janiah McKay scores at a 13.5 clip.
- Frerking also paces Auburn in league games, scoring at a 17.1 clip. McKay is second at 15.8 ppg while Montgomery averages 13.3 ppg.
- Following Thursday's game, the Bulldogs host back-to-back contests against Missouri and Vanderbilt.
- Sunday's game against Mizzou will be televised on ESPNU at 1:30 p.m., while the Vanderbilt contest will be an 8 p.m. SEC Network tilt.
- Mississippi State's 21 wins are tied for both seventh in program history and most in the nation.
- MSU is 29-11 in the SEC since 2014-15, the second-most wins in the SEC in that span. State has won 14 of its last 17 regular-season SEC games.
- State's senior class of Ketara Chapel, Dominique Dillingham, Chinwe Okorie and Breanna Richardson is 98-30 (.766) since 2013-14, the winningest class in program history and the second-most wins in the league in that span.
- MSU has held 10-straight opponents below 65 points. State leads the SEC and is 13th in the nation, holding foes to 54.4 ppg. It is second in SEC contests, giving up 56.6 ppg.
- The Dawgs rank 10th nationally, first in the SEC, in 3-point defense, holding teams to 26.1%. In league games, MSU is tied for first in the conference allowing 28.6% (22 of 77).
- State won the turnover battle for the 20th time on Sunday. Its +8.3 turnover margin is fourth nationally and second in the SEC. MSU is second in SEC games behind Auburn (+7.1).
- MSU's 77.6 ppg scored this season is second in the league and 20th in the nation.
- The Bulldogs have claimed double-digit offensive rebounds in 20 of 22 games this season. State averages 15.7 offensive rebounds per game, tops in the SEC and 27th nationally.
- Victoria Vivians has scored double figures in 16-straight games. She is fourth in the SEC in scoring overall (16.9 ppg) and third in league play (18.1 ppg).
- In SEC contests, Vivians and Morgan William are tied for sixth in the SEC in steals (2.3 spg).
- William dished an SEC personal-best nine assists against TAMU. She is second in the league in assists in conference play with 5.6 apg. William is eight points from 900 for her career and four assists from 400.
- MSU centers Chinwe Okorie and Teaira McCowan are a combined 45 of 64 (70.3%) from the field the last five games and 68 of 104 (65.4%) from the field in SEC play. McCowan is 26 of 32 (81.3%) from the floor her last five games, including 9 of her last 10.
- Breanna Richardson now stands 13 points from recording 1,000 for her career.
- Dominique Dillingham passed 900 points, 200 steals and 200 assists for her career on Sunday. Dillingham is 6 of 9 (66.7%) from 3-point range the last four games.
- Roshunda Johnson had her best SEC outing with nine points against TAMU. She is 7 of her last 11 (63.6%) from the field.
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