Women’s Hoops Set For First Road Contest

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State women's basketball hits the road for the first time this season, as they travel to Tennessee to take on UT Martin. Tipoff for the contest is set for 2 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

GAME INFORMATION
Mississippi State Bulldogs (1-0, 0-0 SEC) at UT Martin Skyhawks (2-0, 0-0 OVC)
November 8, 2026, 2:00 p.m. CT
Martin, Tenn. (Skyhawk Arena)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: MSU Radio Network – Starkville 96.1

TEAM NOTABLES

Mississippi State women's basketball displayed a dominant defensive performance in the season opener, defeating North Alabama, 68-27.
Four Bulldogs finisished with 3+ steals, while a pair collected 3 blocks. State finished with 20 steals as a team, which was the most by a Bulldog team since 2015.
UNA's 27 points were the fewest scored by an MSU opponent in both a season opener and home opener in program history.
State held the Lions to a 16.7 field goal percentage, which was the best mark since 2014.
The Bulldogs forced a total of 33 Lion turnovers, the most by a Bulldog opponent since 2019.
Favour Nwaedozi led the team with 14 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks on 6-11 shooting.
Madison Francis earned 13 points, seven rebounds, three steals and three blocks. It was her fifth career performance with at least three steals and three blocks in the same contest.
Aryss Macktoon and Lani Smallwood led the team with four steals a piece. Macktoon added seven points, while the youngest Smallwood added eight points and five rebounds to the State effort.
Mississippi State returns three Bulldogs this season – Madison Francis, Favour Nwaedozi and Melissa Guillet. Francis and Nwaedozi were the top two scorers on last season's team.
Mississippi State added four players from Division I institutions via the transfer portal - Aryss Macktoon, Reese Beaty, Macie Phifer and Cali Smallwood.
Two NJCAA All-American Honorees made the jump to the SEC - Tootie Lockett and Arianny Francisco de Oliveira.
The Bulldogs also added three freshmen to their roster - Andrea Flores, Grace Ndubueze and Lani Smallwood.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

UT Martin have won each of their first two contests, defeating Eastern Kentucky and Christian Brothers.
The Skyhawks have averaged 97.5 points across their first two games, shooting 52.1 percent from the field.
Kevin McMillan is in his 18th season as the Skyhawk head coach and holds a 309-230 career record.
Raven Sims leads the UT Martin squad with 18.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

SERIES HISTORY

Mississippi State has won all seven previous matchups against Alabama State.
The last matchup between the two took place on December 12, 2021, where State defeated UT Martin, 54-37.
State is 2-0 against the UT Martin in Skyhawk Arena.

Visit HailState.com for the latest news and information on women's basketball. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching 'HailStateWBK' on X, Facebook and Instagram.

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Players Mentioned

Reese Beaty

Andrea Flores

Madison Francis

Arianny Francisco de Oliveira

Melissa Guillet

Tootie Lockett

Aryss Macktoon

Grace Ndubueze

Favour Nwaedozi

Macie Phifer

Cali Smallwood

Lani Smallwood