Lady Dogs Open SEC Tourney Play, Meet Kentucky In First Round
May 25, 2016 | Women's Basketball
SEC Tournament Notes
SEC Tournament Bracket
Live Audio
STARKVILLE, Miss. --? The fifth-seeded Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs will open Southeastern Conference Tournament play Thursday evening when they meet the 12th-seeded Kentucky Lady Wildcats. The two teams will tip-off at 6 p.m. (CST) at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville.
Mississippi State (18-10, 8-6) finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference with LSU and Florida, but received the fifth seed due to tie-breaking rules. LSU was seeded fourth and received a bye in the tournament's first round. State defeated Florida, 83-63, to close the regular season.
Kentucky (8-19, 1-13) is on the heels of a 13-game losing streak, with six of its last seven losses coming at the hands of ranked opponents. The Lady Bulldogs defeated Kentucky in Lexington, 59-54, in the conference opener for both teams, back on Jan. 3, and hold the series edge 13-10.
LaToya Thomas and Tan White both earned spots on the All-SEC First Team, announced Tuesday. Thomas, a unanimous selection, continues to lead the conference in scoring for the third-straight year, with 24.9 points per outing. She also leads State in rebounding (9.6 rpg) and field-goal shooting (58 percent). The two-time Kodak All-American has scored at least 30 points in five of her last seven outings, including a 40-point performance in State's last game versus Florida.
White, who was a unanimous selection to the SEC All-Freshman Team, is second on the squad in scoring (18.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg). The true-freshman shooting-guard leads MSU in assists (4.5 apg), in steals (2.8 spg), and in blocks (1.0 bpg). White has tallied nine double-doubles this season.
Lone senior Jennifer Fambrough made her return from back surgery vs. Florida on Sunday. She scored a season-high 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 30 minutes of action. Fambrough, who had surgery on Feb. 11, was not expected to return until the postseason.
Selia Helm leads Kentucky in scoring (17.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg). Rita Adams joins her in double-figures, averaging nearly 11 points per contest.
The winner will advance to face fourth-seeded LSU at 6 p.m. (CST) on Friday. In other first round games, eighth-seeded Alabama will meet ninth-seeded Georgia at noon, seventh-seeded Arkansas will play 10th-seeded Mississippi at 2:15, and sixth-seeded Florida will face 11th-seeded Auburn at 8:15 p.m.
Mississippi State's action during the SEC Tournament will be televised by SEC-TV (FOX Sports South). Steve Ellis will call the action for the Lady Bulldogs on WFCA 107.9 FM.
