Mississippi State
Ole Miss
Mississippi State Seeks Season Sweep Over Ole Miss On Sunday
February 17, 2024 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State women's basketball hits the road seeking a sweep of its season series with rival Ole Miss at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.Â
GAME INFORMATION
Mississippi State [20-6, 7-4 SEC] at Ole Miss [17-7, 7-4 SEC]
Date:Â Sunday, Feb. 18 |Â Time:Â 3:00 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Watch: SEC Network+
Listen:Â MSU Radio Network - Starkville 96.1Â
Fans who are 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 statbroadcast link attached above.
Ole Miss leads the all-time series 66-39 overall and 31-20 at home; however, Mississippi State has won 16 of the last 19 contests in the series.Â
Trailing by one possession entering the fourth quarter, Mississippi State outscored Ole Miss 20-6 over the final 10 minutes to earn a 69-57 win inside Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 14. Graduate student center Jessika Carter finished with 23 points on 11-15 from the field and five rebounds in 37 minutes, while graduate student guard Lauren Park-Lane added 13 points and dished out eight assists in 35 minutes.
The main difference in the initial contest came inside with Mississippi State holding a 40-18 advantage in points in the paint. Mississippi State is averaging 37.6 points in the paint this season.Â
Mississippi State has defeated the four in-state teams that it has played this season - Alcorn St. 77-42 on Nov. 6, Jackson State 82-72 on Dec. 14, Mississippi Valley St 99-35 on Dec. 29 and Ole Miss 69-57 on Jan. 14. Since 2010, MSU is 49-7 against all Division I schools in the state.
While most teams struggle to readjust and get back in a groove following a longer break, that is not the case for Mississippi State under head coach Sam Purcell. The Bulldogs are 3-0 this season and 8-0 overall when it plays after a seven-day or longer break under Purcell.
Mississippi State is also 3-0 in SEC action with a week or longer break under Purcell and tested that mark when it defeated No. 9/9 LSU, 77-73, on Jan. 29. Having last played on Feb. 11, Mississippi State will test the trend once more when it tips off on Sunday.Â
Mississippi State has won five of its last six contests and had its five-game win streak snapped last time out against Florida on Feb. 11. The latest win streak marked the first time that Mississippi State has won five straight SEC contests since 2019-20.Â
With the latest victory, head coach Sam Purcell became the first head coach in school history – men's or women's – to record consecutive 20-plus win seasons to start their tenure. He is also one of 11 SEC head coaches all time to notch 20 or more wins in each of their first two seasons and one of five since 2000. Purcell's 42 overall, 16 SEC and two NCAA Tournament victories also lead all head coaches in program history through their first two seasons.Â
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.Â
Carter is currently having a career year with her best averages in points, rebounds and minutes. The graduate student center is averaging a near double-double with 14.9 points and 9.9 rebounds in 31.6 minutes. Carter has turned in 11 double-doubles this season - which surpassed her best season total of 10 accomplished last year - and 39 for her career.Â
Park-Lane leads the SEC and is ranked sixth nationally with 157 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 nine of 11 SEC contests and in 22 of 26 overall.
Her 157 assists are already the ninth-best single-season total in program history.Â
Graduate student forward Erynn Barnum has reminded everyone what the All-SEC selection is capable of with four straight double-digit scoring efforts and an average of 16.8 points on 63.6 percent from the field with 4.8 rebounds over the last four contests.
Sophomore guard Debreasha Powe remains one of the conference's best threats from behind the arc and is connecting on a career-best 40.5 percent on 53-131 from three this season - an +10.3 percent increase from her freshman year. Her 53 three pointers rank third in the SEC and her 40.5 percent is fourth.
Mississippi State is back in action when it hosts Kentucky on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.Â
