PREVIEW: #14 Women’s Hoops at Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Looking to extend its seven-game winning streak in the series, No. 14 Mississippi State will travel to Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Thursday to take on the Florida Gators at 5 p.m. CT.

The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+ with Kyle Crooks (play-by-play) and Brittany Davis (analyst) on the call. The matchup can also be streamed on the MSU Radio Network with Jason Crowder.

Mississippi State (6-2, 1-1 SEC) is looking to rebound from a tough overtime loss to No. 13 Kentucky, 92-86, on Sunday. Rickea Jackson had a solid performance with 23 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Aliyah Matharu had a big game with 19 points and four assists off the bench.

Florida (7-3, 0-2 SEC) opens conference play with three-straight ranked opponents and is still looking for its first SEC win of the season after a 92-67 loss to Texas A&M on Sunday. Lavender Briggs highlights the Gator roster with her 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game. The sophomore guard boasts five 20-point performances already this year. She's joined by Kiara Smith (15.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.3 spg) and Nina Rickards (10.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.7 apg) to round out the double-digit scorers for UF.

State opened conference play last year with a 93-47 victory against Florida. The win evened out the series at 25-25. When playing in Gainesville, MSU trails in the series 9-13 but has won the last three meetings on the road.

Bulldog Storylines

Mississippi State enters a new era during the 2020-21 campaign, as women's basketball hall of famer Nikki McCray-Penson takes the helm of the women's basketball program. The Collierville, Tenn., native boasts a decorated resume to this point in her career.
- 2017 National Championship
- 2x Olympic Gold Medalist
- 2x SEC Player of the Year
- 3x WNBA All-Star
- 1997 ABL MVP
- 1997 ABL Championship
Since the start of the 2016-17 campaign, Mississippi State owns 137 wins, which is the third-most victories in all of Division I. UConn leads the way with 142 wins, while Baylor boasts 139.
With MSU being tabbed No. 14 in the most recent poll, the Bulldogs have now spent 121 consecutive weeks inside the AP Top 25, continuing the longest streak in program history and the fifth-longest active streak in the country.
During the last few years, Mississippi State has developed into one of the top scoring offenses in the nation. The Bulldogs ranked inside the top 25 in scoring during each of the last four seasons. This season, MSU ranks 21st overall with 83.2 ppg.
State's high-scoring offense has been the result of its efficient shooting. The Bulldogs are shooting the ball at a 48-percent clip for the year, which ranks 16th in the country and third in the SEC. From beyond the arc, MSU is knocking down threes at a .385 rate, which is 23rd in the country and second in the SEC.
In their game against Troy, the Bulldogs broke the program record and matched the SEC record for 3-pointers made in a single game (18).
Rickea Jackson, who is a National Player of the Year candidate, is averaging a team-best 17.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. The sophomore forward owns two 30-point efforts and 10 games with 20+ points during her career.
One of the most efficient posts in the country, Jessika Carter ranks 14th among active Division I players in career field goal percentage (.569). She owns 15 career double-doubles and ranks second on the team in scoring (16.4 ppg) and leads the squad in rebounding (8.5 rpg) this season.
After ranking eighth in the country and leading the SEC in assist/turnover ratio (2.80) last season, Myah Taylor picked up right where she left off. The redshirt junior guard currently boasts the nation's eighth-best assist/turnover ratio at 4.12.
MSU's 2020-21 roster boasts three McDonald's All-Americans in Rickea Jackson, Sidney Cooks and Madison Hayes.

For more information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU women's basketball on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateWBK."

--HailState.com--