No. 2 Bulldogs Wrap Road Slate Thursday At No. 22 Kentucky

Thursday, February 23

Lexington, Ky.

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

#22 Kentucky

No. 2 Bulldogs Wrap Road Slate Thursday At No. 22 Kentucky

February 22, 2017 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes (MSU)Game Notes (UK)Watch On SECN+Live Audio

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Second-ranked Mississippi State women's basketball seeks to clinch at least a share of its first SEC regular-season championship as it begins the final week of the regular season Thursday night at No. 22 Kentucky.

Tip from Memorial Coliseum is set for 6 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast online on SEC Network +. WKBB-FM 100.9 in the Golden Triangle and WCNA-FM 95.9 in Tupelo, Corinth and Oxford will have the radio call. A live audio stream will be available at www.hailstate.com/plus and the TuneIn app.

Mississippi State enters the final week of the regular season 27-1 overall and 13-1 in SEC play. State sits a game ahead of South Carolina for first place in the league standings.

The Bulldogs have won seven-straight games, and with a win on Thursday, can not only clinch a share of the first SEC regular-season title by an MSU women's team but also match last season's squad for the school record for wins in a season.

Mississippi State faces its second-straight road game against a ranked opponent, as it claimed its first-ever win in College Station on Sunday with a 72-67 victory against the 23^rd-ranked Aggies.

Kentucky has won four-straight games to move to 19-8 overall and 10-4 in SEC play.

SERIES VS. KENTUCKY

Kentucky leads the overall series with Mississippi State 26-17, including a slim 11-8 advantage in Lexington.
The Wildcats have won the last 10 meetings after claiming an 83-60 victory in Starkville last season.
The last time the teams met in Lexington was a thriller, with Kentucky winning 92-90 in double overtime. UK won on a putback at the buzzer despite an MSU freshman-record 39 points from Victoria Vivians.

ABOUT THE WILDCATS

Kentucky has won four-straight games to improve to 19-8 overall, 10-4 in SEC play. UK knocked off Florida 67-48 at home on Sunday after claiming back-to-back road wins at Georgia and Arkansas.
Makalya Epps leads the Wildcats with 16.9 ppg. Evelyn Akhator follows at a 14.9 clip while topping UK on the boards with 10.4 rpg for the year.
In SEC play, Epps and Akhator are tied for the team scoring lead with 16.4 ppg. Akhator also averages a double-double in league games as well, hauling down 10.1 rpg.

NEXT UP FOR THE DAWGS

State wraps the regular-season slate at home Sunday, hosting Tennessee for Senior Day. Tip is 4 p.m. on ESPN2.

BULLDOG BITES

Mississippi State moved atop the SEC standings at 13-1 with Sunday's win at No. 23 Texas A&M. A win Thursday would give MSU at least a share of the regular-season SEC title.
The Bulldogs are seeking their first SEC regular-season championship. It would also be the first for an MSU women's team in any sport.
MSU has won seven-straight games and is now a program-best 12-1 on the road this season.
Sunday's win was State's first in College Station. It was also State's 27th of the year, tying the 2014-15 squad for second-most in program history behind the 2015-16 squad (28).
The Bulldogs clinched a Top 2 seed with Sunday's win at Texas A&M.
Bulldog head coach Vic Schaefer is now three wins from claiming his 200th as a head coach.
State seniors Ketara Chapel, Dominique Dillingham, Chinwe Okorie and Breanna Richardson are now 104-30 (.776) since 2013-14, the second-most wins in the league in that span.
The Bulldogs are 35-11 (.761) in the SEC since 2014-15, the second-most wins in the league in that time frame. State has won 20 of its last 23 regular-season SEC games.
MSU moved to No. 2 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, the school's highest ranking. The Bulldogs stayed No. 3 in the Associated Press poll. State has been in both 52-straight weeks.
Sunday was the ninth time in SEC play MSU has put 70-plus points on the scoreboard. The last time MSU did that was 2002-03 (11 times).
MSU's bench out-scored Texas A&M 28-0 on Sunday. The Bulldog reserves have claimed a 183-68 scoring edge the last seven games. State's bench averages 26.0 ppg this season.
After grabbing a 12-point advantage in the paint, MSU is averaging 31.0 points in the paint the last four games.
Victoria Vivians reached double figures for the 22nd-straight game with 25 points at Texas A&M. It was her ninth 20-point game of the season and 30th of her career. Six of her 20-point games this season have come against SEC opposition.
Vivians is seventh in the SEC this season at 16.8 ppg, fourth in league games with 17.4 ppg.
Vivians has 244 points in SEC play this season, two back of her personal league best
Vivians averages 18.7 ppg against ranked foes this season, 16.9 ppg in her career.
Vivians is 15 of her last 17 at the free-throw line (88.2%). Morgan William is 14 of her last 15 (93.3%)
William has dished 26 assists to just nine turnovers her last five games.
Sophomore Teaira McCowan is averaging 15.7 points and 13.3 rebounds the last three games. In that stretch she is shooting 67.7% from the field.
McCowan has 15 blocks her last six games (2.5 bpg) after swatting 21 her first 22 contests.
Ketara Chapel is 6 of her last 8 from the field, including 2 of 2 from 3-point range the last two games. She had a season-high 14 points and seven rebounds last Thursday versus Georgia.
William is 14 of her last 15 (93.3%) at the free-throw line. She is fifth in the SEC in FT% in league games (82.2%). She is fourth at MSU in career free-throws made with 385.