No. 10 Women's Hoops Hosts UAFS In Thursday Exhibition

Thursday, November 3

Starkville

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

Arkansas-Fort Smith (Exh.)

Mississippi State women's basketball returns to the Hump Thursday, hosting Arkansas-Fort Smith in a 6 p.m. exhibition.

No. 10 Women's Hoops Hosts UAFS In Thursday Exhibition

November 02, 2016 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes (MSU)Watch On SEC Network +Buy Season Tickets

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Hail State Hoops returns to the hardwood Thursday as the No. 10 Mississippi State women's basketball team hosts Arkansas-Fort Smith in a 6 p.m. exhibition at Humphrey Coliseum.

Admission to Thursday's game is free, with doors opening at 5 p.m. Fans unable to come to the game can watch the live online stream on SEC Network + (http://es.pn/2eO1au9).

The Bulldogs enter the season fresh off receiving a No. 10 ranking, the highest preseason rating in school history, in Tuesday's Associated Press Top 25 Poll. State begins the year No. 11 in the USA Today Coaches' Preseason Top 25.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to have one of four home non-conference games tomorrow night at 6 p.m.," fifth-year head coach Vic Schaefer said. "I think our kids are excited to have the opportunity to play at home. I know we are going to have a great crowd, even for an exhibition game. I am expecting a great crowd for our team. I'm proud of where we are right now, going into year five. It's time to live it. We are excited about the opportunity."

Schaefer's fifth MSU squad enters 2016-17 with high expectations as five starters and nine letterwinners return from last season's team that won a school-record 28 games and matched the program standard with 11 SEC victories en route to earning the Bulldogs' second NCAA Sweet 16 appearance.

Fans can purchase season tickets for the 206-17 campaign online at www.hailstate.com/tickets or via phone at 1-888-GO-DAWGS.

SERIES BREAKDOWN

Thursday's game will be the third time the Bulldogs have met Arkansas-Fort Smith, and the second meeting in the last three years.
The Bulldogs hosted the Lady Lions in an exhibition to open the 2014-15 season, with State prevailing 114-58 behind then-freshman Victoria Vivians' 20 points on 7 of 14 shooting. Sherise Williams tallied 19 points, while Blair Schaefer and Morgan William collected 15 and 11, respectively.
The other meeting came at the start of the 2011-12 campaign, with the Bulldogs winning 84-48.
This year's contest features some familiar faces returning to Humphrey Coliseum. The Lady Lions' first-year head coach is Elena Lovato, who served as an assistant on Vic Schaefer's staff the past two seasons.
The other familiar face is New Albany native Jazmine Spears, who played for the Bulldogs during last season's Sweet 16 run. Spears saw action in eight games a year ago for MSU, scoring 13 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
Lovato's team, the preseason No. 2 pick in the Heartland Conference, has to replace its top four scorers and top two rebounders.
The Lady Lions opened with a 79-57 exhibition win against Evangel on Oct. 25. Spears and freshman Micayla Haynes paced UAFS with 18 points each. Spears also recorded a double-double, grabbing 13 rebounds to go with her 18 points.

BULLDOG BITES

The 2016-17 season marks the 43rd season of basketball for Mississippi State and the fifth under head coach Vic Schaefer.
State enters Thursday's game having won its last 10 exhibition games after last season's 128-34 victory against Mississippi College.
The Bulldogs enter the campaign boasting Top 15 rankings in all of the preseason polls. State begins the year No. 10 in the Associated Press and No. 11 in the USA Today Coaches polls.
State's No. 10 AP ranking is the program's highest preseason ranking in the poll.
The Bulldogs have been in the Associated Press poll for 37-straight weeks, the ninth-longest active streak in the nation. It is the third-longest active streak among SEC teams, rating behind only Kentucky (124) and South Carolina (74).
MSU was ranked 12th by ESPNW and 10th by the USBWA, while Sporting News and Athlon Sports each placed State at No. 7. Slam Magazine had State at No. 8, and Lindy's Sports tabbed the Dawgs at No. 12.
The SEC media predicted Mississippi State to finish second in the league this season, the highest predicted finish ever for a Bulldog squad.
This year's team returns all five starters and nine letterwinners from last season's group that won a school-record 28 games, tied for second in the SEC with an 11-5 record and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the second time in program history.
With last season's 28 wins, Mississippi State set the school record for victories in a season for the second-straight year, eclipsing the 27 notched in 2014-15.
Last year's 11-5 SEC record equaled the program best for league wins set in 2014-15. It is the first time State has won double-digit league games in back-to-back seasons.
The 2016-17 Bulldogs return 90% of the point production and 89% of the rebounding from last year's squad.
Mississippi State is 33-3 inside Humphrey Coliseum the last two years, the second-best record in the SEC. MSU has won 36 of its last 40 games in The Hump going back to 2013-14.
MSU can win 20 games for a fourth-straight year. Prior to Schaefer, State only had four 20-win seasons.

OLDER DAWGS READY TO GO

Last season Mississippi State owned one of the nation's youngest rosters, with 10 of the Bulldogs' 14 roster players boasting one year or less of college experience. This year will be different, however, as eight players are either juniors or seniors.
Here is a breakdown of the per-game averages returning for MSU this season:
- Points 62.2 ppg
- Rebounds 35.9 rpg
- Assists 12.5 apg
- Blocks 3.7 bpg
- Steals 7.2 spg

NEW BULLDOGS READY FOR DEBUT

While State has plenty of veterans on the roster this season, the Bulldogs will have four new faces looking to make an impact.
Redshirt junior Roshunda Johnson will make her debut after sitting out last season following a transfer from Oklahoma State. Johnson averaged 8.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.8 steals in two seasons in Stillwater. During that time she was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team and the Big 12 All-Tournament Team while leading the Cowgirls to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
Zion Campbell will add depth to the frontcourt after redshirting last season, and freshmen Iggy Allen and Ameshya Williams will make their debuts.

STATE PICKED 2ND IN SEC

In addition to being picked a school-best No. 10 in the Associated Press preseason poll, the Bulldogs have also earned the best preseason SEC pick in school history with a second-place selection by league media.
Mississippi State tied for second in the league last season, the highest finish by a Bulldog squad. MSU finished 11-5 for the second-straight year. The 11 SEC wins are the most in school history.

BULLDOGS PILING UP THE WINS

MSU is 55-15 (.786) the last two years. Both the wins total and winning percentage are second in the SEC in that span behind South Carolina and tied for 14th-most in the Division I ranks.
State's 77 victories the last three years are third-most in the SEC and tied for 22nd nationally. MSU is 77-29 (.726) in that span after going 61-63 the previous 4 years.
State is 22-10 the last two years in SEC play after going 18-46 the four years prior. MSU's 22 SEC wins the last two seasons rank third behind South Carolina (31) and Tennessee (23).

GOING FOR 20 AND MORE HISTORY

Mississippi State has won 20-plus games each of the last three seasons. It is the first time Bulldog squads have enjoyed three-straight 20-win seasons. A fourth-straight year with 20 or more wins would be quite the accomplishment as it would match the program's total number of 20-win seasons prior to Schaefer's arrival.

VIVIANS EARNS PRESEASON ACCOLADES

Junior Victoria Vivians has seen the early-season accolades roll in, with the most recent being a selection to the five-player media preseason All-SEC team. The preseason has also seen her named a first team All-American by Sporting News and a second team All-America selection by Athlon Sports.
The Carthage, Miss., native is the SEC's top returning scorer after finishing second in the league a year ago with 17.1 ppg. Vivians enters her junior season with 1,121 points, 17th-most in school history. That total is the fifth-most among returning active SEC players. In addition to being 379 points from 1,500 for her career, she also needs to make just two 3-pointers to claim 150 as a Bulldog.

MORGAN MOVING UP THE CHARTS

Junior Morgan William has put together quite the early career for MSU. In addition to claiming the second-most assists in a season last year (176), she also broke her own single-season school free-throw percentage record (84.4 percent).
William needs just 15 free throws to claim No. 300 for her career, and she is also one assist away from claiming 300 in that category as well.

DILLINGHAM SWIPING HER WAY UP CAREER LIST

She had her best year offensively a year ago, but Dominique Dillingham has been one of the top defensive players in MSU history. She enters her senior year needing 18 steals to claim 300 for her career.

SENIORS LOOKING TO GO OUT ON TOP

Dillingham and fellow seniors Ketara Chapel, Breanna Richardson and Chinwe Okorie have been instrumental in leading Mississippi State to unprescedented heights. The quartet can end their careers the winningest class in MSU history, sitting 13 victories back of the 90 claimed by Sherise Williams.