Mississippi State Faces Road Test At Kentucky On Thursday

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State women's basketball kicks off the month of February when it travels to face Kentucky inside Rupp Arena on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.

GAME INFORMATION
Mississippi State (17-5, 4-3 SEC) at Kentucky (9-12, 2-5 SEC)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 1 | Time: 6:00 p.m. CT
Location: Lexington, Ky. (Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center)
Watch: SEC Network+
Listen: MSU Radio Network - Starkville 96.1

Fans not in attendance can follow action on SEC Network+ or through their Mississippi State radio station with Jason Crowder. Live statistics will be available through the statbroacast link attached above.

Kentucky leads the series 31-23 overall and 14-9 in Lexington. Mississippi State won the lone contest under head coach Sam Purcell with a 77-76 win inside Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 22, 2023.

Currently on a two-game winning streak, Mississippi State enters the new month 17-5 overall and 4-3 in the SEC. The Bulldogs finished with a 5-2 record in February in their first season under head coach Sam Purcell to propel their historic run in March.

The Southeastern Conference announced on Tuesday that senior guard Jerkaila Jordan has been named Co-SEC Player of the Week and freshman guard Mjracle Sheppard was voted Co-Freshman of the Week. Jordan is the fourth different Mississippi State player to earn SEC Player of the Week accolades this season, while Sheppard is the second to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors. It marked the first time in both players' careers that they have received their respective honor.

Mississippi State leads the conference with five SEC Player of the Week honors this season, in addition to two Freshman of the Week honors. The seven total weekly conference honors have been awarded to six different players.

With a 77-73 win over No. 9 LSU last time out on Monday, Purcell earned his first top-25 win as a head coach. It also marked the first top-10 win for Mississippi State since a road win at No. 10 Texas, 67-49, on Dec. 2, 2018. Monday was also the first sellout crowd under Purcell with 9,121 fans in attendance.

Jordan, a New Orleans, La. native, led Mississippi State over LSU with a game-high 24 points on 9-17 from the field and 3-3 from behind the arc, in addition to four rebounds and five rebounds in 32 minutes. She has now turned in consecutive 20-plus point games for the third time and has reached the point total in nine overall contests this season.

Jordan is on pace to post career-best averages in points and rebounds with a team-high 17.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest. One of best defenders in the conference, she has also reached three-plus steals in six of seven SEC contests.

No one in the SEC was better than Jordan during the month of February in 2022-23. She was the only SEC player to lead her team in at least six major stat categories in the month.

Graduate student center Jessika Carter is currently averaging career-best marks rebounds and minutes with 9.7 rebounds in 30.4 minutes per game, in addition to 14.5 points per game. She has been on another level as of late, posting 16.2 points on 56.1 percent from the field and 10.2 rebounds over the last five SEC contests.

Graduate student guard Lauren Park-Lane is second in the SEC and sixth nationally with 129 total assists this season. She is one of just three players in the country to rank inside the top eight for total assists each of the last two seasons. Park-Lane has led the team in assists in all six SEC contests and in 19 of 22 overall.

Sophomore guard Debreasha Powe remains one of the conference's best threats from behind the arc and is connecting on a career-best 41.9 percent on 49-117 from three this season - an +11.2 percent increase from her freshman year. Her 49 three pointers rank second in the SEC and her 41.9 percent is third.

Thursday will be the second of three contests this week for Mississippi State. Mississippi State will remain on the road to take on Texas A&M inside Reed Arena on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 3:00 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

Mississippi State Faces Road Test At Kentucky On Thursday

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Players Mentioned

Jessika Carter

Jerkaila Jordan

Lauren Park-Lane

Debreasha Powe

Mjracle Sheppard

Mississippi State University Athletics