Vivians Named To Naismith Top 30, No. 3 Bulldogs Host Vandy Thursday

Thursday, February 9

Starkville

8:00 PM

Mississippi State

Vanderbilt

Tickets

Vivians Named To Naismith Top 30, No. 3 Bulldogs Host Vandy Thursday

February 08, 2017 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes (MSU)Game Notes (Vanderbilt)Buy Tickets Watch On SEC Network Live Audio

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State plays its first game as the No. 3 team in the nation Thursday as the Bulldogs host Vanderbilt at Humphrey Coliseum.

Tip is set for 8 p.m., with the SEC Network broadcasting the contest nationally.

Tickets for the game are $5 for adults, with free admission for youth age 18 and under. MSU students also get in free with a valid student ID. Fans can purchase tickets at www.hailstate.com/tickets.

The first 1,000 MSU students at Thursday's baseball Cowbell Yell at Dudy Noble Field will receive a voucher to pick up this year's Dudes shirt at the Hump prior to the game.

Families can arrive early and enjoy games and inflatables in Bully's Kidz Kourt in Mize Pavilion. Bully's Kidz Kourt will be open from 6:30-7:45 p.m., and the Bulldog softball team will be in attendance signing autographs.

The MSU Student Lounge will also be open from 5:30-7:45 p.m. and again at halftime.

Fans can also catch the game on the radio in the Golden Triangle on WKBB-FM 100.9 and in the Corinth, Tupelo and Oxford areas on WCNA-FM 95.9. A live audio stream will be available on www.hailstate.com/plus and the TuneIn app.

The Bulldogs are coming off a 70-53 win against Missouri on Sunday that improved the Bulldogs to 23-1 overall and 9-1 in SEC play.

Dominique Dillingham scored a career-best 24 points in the contest, while Victoria Vivians added 15.

Vivians Named To Naismith Top 30

Vivians was named to the Naismith Top 30 by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Wednesday after putting together a junior campaign that has seen her average an SEC eighth-most 16.8 ppg this season. She is fifth in the league in conference play with 17.7 ppg.

Vivians notched her 1,500^th career point at Auburn, and on Sunday she moved into seventh on MSU's career scoring list with 1,525 points. That total is one back of sixth and eight away from matching LaCharlotte Smith for fifth.

The Carthage, Miss., native has 552 made field goals in her career, eight back of matching Alexis Rack for sixth in the school history. She has made 192 3-pointers in her first three seasons in Starkville, a total that is third in program annals.

Vivians has also been solid on the defensive end of the floor in SEC games, averaging a league fifth-most 2.1 steals per game.

Vivians is also on the watch lists for the Wade, Ann Meyers Drysdale and Wooden player of the year awards.

TICKETS

Cost: $5 adults, free youth age 18 and under
MSU students get free admission with valid student ID
Purchase tickets at www.hailstate.com/tickets

PROMOTIONS

First 1,000 students at Cowbell Yell redeem vouchers to get free Dudes shirt
Bully's Kidz Kourt – 6:30-7:45 p.m. in Mize Pavilion (MSU softball team autographs 7:15-7:45 p.m.)
MSU Student Lounge – Open 5:30-7:45 p.m. and halftime
Food Item of the Game – Little Caesar's Loaded Cinnamon Bites ($5, Concession Stand 2)
Parker-McGill's Full-Court Putt Contest for the chance to win $5,000
Purchase Maroon Memories experiences (www.HailState.com/memories)

SERIES VS. VANDERBILT

Thursday will be the 55th meeting between MSU and Vanderbilt, with the Commodores holding a 36-18 advantage. The series is tied at 12 apiece in Starkville.
State has won four of the last five meetings, including two-straight at The Hump. MSU defeated the Commodores 63-46 in last season's SEC Tournament quarterfinal after picking up a 66-61 win in Nashville last season.
Victoria Vivians paced the Bulldogs with 21 points in the last regular season meeting, while Dominique Dillingham's 12-point effort led MSU in the SEC Tournament win.

ABOUT THE COMMODORES

Vanderbilt comes to Starkville 11-12 overall and 1-9 in SEC play. The Commodores fell 71-63 at Kentucky on Sunday after dropping a 93-73 decision at Florida a week ago. Vandy's lone SEC win came at home against Alabama on Jan. 26.
Vanderbilt is the SEC's top 3-point shooting team, hitting 39.8% in league games. Kayla Overbeck tops the Commodores in SEC games with 12.0 ppg, while Rachel Bell averages 11.0 ppg. Marqu'es Webb grabs 9.3 rpg in SEC play to go with 8.4 ppg.

NEXT UP FOR THE DAWGS

MSU returns to the road Sunday for an SEC Network rematch against in-state rival Ole Miss.
The Bulldogs host Georgia on Feb. 16, a game that will be streamed online on SEC Network +.

BULLDOG BITES

Sunday's win against Missouri was MSU's 44th in its last 48 games at Humphrey Coliseum. State is 57-8 (.877) at The Hump since 2013-14, 69-13 (.841) at home under Vic Schaefer.
The Bulldogs have won 11-straight at home, tied for the 13th-longest streak in the country.
State seniors Ketara Chapel, Dominique Dillingham, Chinwe Okorie and Breanna Richardson claimed their 100th win on Sunday. The quartet is 100-30 (.769) since 2013-14.
MSU's 23 wins are tied with the 2008-09 team for fifth-most in program history.
The Bulldogs are 31-11 in the SEC since 2014-15, the second-most wins in the league in that span. State has won 16 of its last 19 regular-season SEC games.
State earned a program-best No. 3 ranking in this week's USA Today Coaches Poll. It is No. 4 in the Associated Press poll. MSU has been in both polls for 50-straight weeks.
MSU held Missouri to its fewest points since its season opener. It also limited the Tigers to 33.3% from the field, their lowest field goal percentage since March 21, 2016.
The Bulldogs are second in field goal defense in SEC games, holding teams to 37.8%.
State forced Missouri into 29 turnovers, their most since Jan. 24, 2016. MSU is second in the SEC in turnover margin in league games (+7.6). Its +8.4 tally for the year is third nationally.
Sunday was the 12th-straight game MSU has held its opponent under 65 points. The Bulldogs are 20-1 this season, 95-22 under Schaefer, when doing so.
The Bulldogs have held league foes to 55.3 ppg, the lowest average in the conference.
MSU has shot over 43% from the field in four of its last five games.
State is hitting 44% (22 of 50) from 3-point range the last three contests.
MSU has led wire-to-wire 10 times and trailed by more than two possessions in three games.
Dominique Dillingham scored a career-high 24 points against Missouri and tied her career best with five 3-pointers. Both of her previous bests came against Missouri in 2014.
Dillingham is 11 of 20 (55%) from 3-point range the last five games.
Victoria Vivians notched her 18th-straight game in double figures. She is eighth in the SEC in scoring overall (16.8 ppg) and fifth in league play (17.7 ppg).
Vivians moved into seventh in MSU career scoring on Sunday. With 1,525 points, she is one point away from tying Sharon Thompson (1995-98) for sixth place.
Breanna Richardson notched her 1,000th-career point in a 13-point effort against Mizzou. She also claimed the 650th rebound of her career.
Morgan William was named to the midseason watch list for the Dawn Staley Award,.
William and MSU lead the SEC in assist/turnover ratio in league games. William owns a 3.6 mark, while the Bulldogs claim a 1.2 tally through 10 conference games.
William is second in the SEC in league games with 5.8 apg. She has averaged 6.6 apg her last five outings.