PREVIEW: Women’s Hoops vs. Missouri

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State wraps up the regular season on Sunday at 3 p.m. with a contest against Missouri at Humphrey Coliseum.

The game will be televised on SEC Network with Tiffany Greene (play-by-play) and Steffi Sorensen (analyst) on the call. The matchup can also be streamed on the MSU Radio Network with Jason Crowder.

Mississippi State will honor three seniors before the contest. Doors will open one hour before tip. Fans who plan to attend the game are encouraged to review the Mississippi State Gameday Guidelines.

The Bulldogs enter the game on the heels of a solid 68-59 win at LSU on Thursday night. Aliyah Matharu scored all 19 of her points in the second half to spark Mississippi State to the victory. The SEC Sixth Woman of the Year candidate was 5-of-7 from the floor, a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe after halftime. Myah Taylor had another strong outing on both ends of the floor, recording 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting, six rebounds, four assists and four steals. Jessika Carter also stepped up big for State, posting 14 points, nine boards, two blocks, two steals and one assist.

State has won the last two meetings against Missouri and is 9-2 overall in the series. In the most recent matchup, MSU earned a 79-64 wire-to-wire victory at Mizzou Arena. Rickea Jackson posted 21 points and nine rebounds to pace the Bulldogs in the win.

Bulldog Storylines

Rickea Jackson, who was named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 watch list, is averaging a team-best 15.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. The sophomore forward owns two 30-point efforts and 11 games with 20+ points during her career. Of her 20-point games, 10 came against SEC opponents.
One of the most efficient posts in the SEC, Jessika Carter ranks fourth in the league in field goal percentage (.510). She owns 18 career double-doubles, leads the team in rebounding 9.1 rpg) and is second in scoring (14.8).
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, ranking 31st in the country and fourth in the SEC with a 2.47 assist/turnover ratio. Her 4.4 assists per game ranks third in the conference.
Between her scoring and assists, Taylor has been a major factor in State's offense this season. In fact, she has accounted for more than 25 percent of MSU's total scoring in nine contests, including two games during SEC play when she accounted for 50 percent or more of the team's scoring.
Because of their play this season, Carter, Jackson and Taylor were recognized as finalists for their Naismith Starting Five position awards. Jackson and Carter have also been tabbed to National Player of the Year watch lists. Combined, the trio averages 40.1 points, 17.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game.
A scoring threat and spark off the bench for Mississippi State, Aliyah Matharu is making a strong case for SEC Sixth Woman of the Year. She is averaging 10.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game this year.
Mississippi State entered 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 141 wins, which is the fourth-most victories in all of Division I. UConn leads the way, while Baylor ranks second and Louisville is third.
Mississippi State wants to dominate the paint every game, and the offense's primary goal is to get the ball down low for a basket. MSU is outscoring opposing teams 664-426 in the paint, which is an average margin of more than 14.0 points per game.
The Bulldogs also average 6.8 threes per game this year, which ranks third all-time in MSU history for a single season. State only averaged more 3-pointers during the 2017-18 (7.1 3FG/game) and the 2009-10 (7.2 3FG/game) campaigns. State has been efficient from beyond the arc, shooting a .355 clip, which ranks fifth in program history for a single season.
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).
The Bulldogs have played the fewest conference games during SEC play due to COVID issues with other teams and inclement weather. During one stretch, State played just two games during a 34-day span. A total of seven matchups this season have either been postponed/canceled without a makeup date scheduled.

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."