Bulldogs, Hurricanes Battle In Puerto Rico
November 18, 2015 | Men's Basketball
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO – Mississippi State hits the road for the first time in the 2015-16 season as it faces the Miami Hurricanes in the opening round of the eight-team Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament.
Thursday's action is set for a 4 p.m. CT tip at Coliseo Roberto Clemente and will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Rich Hollenberg and LaPhonso Ellis will provide the broadcast commentary, while Bart Gregory and Richard Williams will call the action on the MSU Radio Network.
The Bulldogs (1-1) suffered a 76-72 setback to Southern University Monday night. Craig Sword scored a team-high 16 points while Travis Daniels led the team with a career-high 10 rebounds. Gavin Ware added 13 points to continue his early-season offensive production. Ware, who was named the SEC Player of the Week, leads the team in points (19.5) and rebounds (8.5) per game.
MSU shot 11-31 from behind the arc against the Jaguars, the most 3-pointers made since also making 11 against New Orleans in 2013.
Thursday's game will mark the fifth time the Bulldogs and Hurricanes meet on the hardwood, with the last meeting coming in 2007. The series is tied 2-2 with a 1-1 split on neutral-site courts. In Puerto Rico, MSU is 5-4 all-time, with a 3-3 mark in San Juan.
Fifth-year head coach Jimmy Larranaga leads the Hurricanes (2-0) to their fifth trip to Puerto Rico, posting a 9-3 record in the country. In its last appearance, Miami won the 2007-08 Puerto Rico Tip-Off with victories against Marist, VCU and Providence.
In their last outing, Davon Reed paced the Canes with 19 points in a 93-77 win over Louisiana. Senior Sheldon McClellan leads the team with 17 points per game while Tonye Jekiri averages a team-best eight rebounds per outing.
Miami also found rhythm from 3-point range against the Ragin Cajuns, shooting 12-33. After shooting 10-31 behind the arc in the season opener against UT Rio Grande Valley, Miami has made at least 10 3-pointers in each of the first two games for the first time since 2007-08.
Following Thursday's game, Mississippi State will face either No. 16 Utah or Texas Tech on Friday.
