No. 6/7 Bulldogs Open SEC Tournament Play Friday

STARKVILLE, Miss. – A new season for No. 6/7 Mississippi State begins Friday night in Greenville, S.C.

Coming off the best regular season in program history, the Bulldogs begin their postseason journey Friday night against LSU in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Tip is set for 5 p.m. CT, with the contest being broadcast nationally on the SEC Network. A free live audio stream will be available on www.hailstate.com/plus and the TuneIn app, and the radio call will be delivered across the state on the following stations:

Mississippi State Women's Basketball Friday Radio Affiliates

City	Station	Frequency
French Camp	WFCA	107.9 FM
Jackson	WRKS	105.9 FM
Lucedale	WRBE	106.9 FM
Meridian	WMOX	1010 AM
Natchez	WNAT	1450 AM
Starkville/West Point	WKBB	100.9 FM
Tupelo	WCNA	95.9 FM
Vicksburg	WVBG	105.5 FM
Winona	WONA	95.1 FM

The game can also be heard on Sirius channel 136 and XM channel 202.

Vic Schaefer's squad enters the postseason 27-3 overall and 13-3 in SEC play. The 27 victories are tied for second-most in school history, one back of the record set during last season's Sweet 16 run.

The Bulldogs had four players earn SEC honors from the league coaches on Tuesday. Victoria Vivians, who was named a Naismith Trophy Player of the Year semifinalist, earned First Team All-SEC accolades for the second-straight year, while fellow junior Morgan William claimed a spot on the second team.

Senior Dominique Dillingham was tabbed for the All-Defensive Team for the second year in a row, and sophomore Teaira McCowan became the first Bulldog to be named the league's 6^th Woman of the Year.

LSU is 20-10 overall after defeating Ole Miss 65-49 on Thursday. The Lady Tigers finished the SEC slate 8-8.

MSU VS. LSU

LSU leads the overall series against MSU 47-8, but the Bulldogs have won the last two meetings after knocking off the Lady Tigers 74-48 in the Jan. 1 SEC opener.
MSU has never won three-straight games against the Lady Tigers, with the only other two-game win streak coming in 2009.
The teams have met in the SEC Tournament four times, with LSU claiming all four meetings. The last was a 63-58 decision in 2009.

QUOTABLE

"It's an exciting time of year. We have two tournaments in front of us. This one coming up is as hard as any you will play in. It is a very challenging weekend, but we are excited about the opportunity. I am really proud of our girls. They have worked hard all year. That double-bye (in the SEC Tournament) can be important for you. I am just so proud of how hard we worked all year long and how hard we have played. Being 13-3 in the SEC and 27-3 overall is a tremendous accomplishment. Again, there were so many more records that they have been able to establish and set here. We have a tough road in front of us this weekend. We will take it one at a time. Friday, we will be ready for whoever wins on Thursday. I know our girls will be fired up about playing on Friday." – Head Coach Vic Schaefer

BULLDOG BITES

Mississippi State is the SEC Tournament No. 2 seed, the program's highest seed in the event.
The Bulldogs finished the SEC regular season in second place for the second-straight year. MSU tied for second last season and was the No. 3 seed in the tournament.
State defeated Vanderbilt and Tennessee last season to advance to the championship game for the second time in program history.
A win Friday would give the program its first back-to-back semifinal appearances ever.
State heads to Greenville 27-3 overall. The 27 wins are tied with the 2014-15 squad for second-most in program history behind the 2015-16 squad (28).
The Bulldogs' 13 SEC wins this season are a new school record.
MSU had a league-best four players earn SEC honors Tuesday. Victoria Vivians earned First Team All-SEC for the second-straight year. Morgan William was named to the second team, her first All-SEC accolade. Dominique Dillingham claimed All-Defensive Team honors for the second year in a row, while Teaira McCowan became the first MSU player to receive 6th Woman of the Year.
MSU was 8-0 this season against the teams in its half of the bracket.
MSU enters the postseason averaging 75.9 ppg this season. That total is sixth in program history, the most since the 2001-02 season. It's also second in the SEC.
MSU has made 45.2% from the field this season. That total is fourth in program history, second in the SEC and 23rd nationally.
MSU is third in the SEC, 22nd nationally, forcing 20.4 turnovers per game. State's +7.0 turnover margin is second in the league, eighth in the Division I ranks.
State's bench scored 22 points on Sunday. The Bulldog reserves have claimed a 222-79 scoring edge the last nine games. State's bench averages 25.6 ppg this season.
Vivians notched her 24th-straight double-digit game Sunday. She has 10-plus points in 28 of 30 games, including 20-plus points 10 times. She's averaging 23.3 ppg her last three games.
Vivians is fifth in the SEC in scoring both overall (17.2) and in league games (18.1).
William is 23 of her last 25 (92%) at the free-throw line.
William capped the regular season averaging 11.3 ppg the last four contests. She shot 48.3% from the field in that stretch.
In league games, William was second in the SEC in assists (5.4 apg), first in assist/turnover ratio (2.9).
After scoring 16 points on Sunday, Roshunda Johnson is 10 of her last 19 from the field, including 8 of 12 from 3-point range.
McCowan has averaged 10.6 points, 11.0 rebounds the last five games. With 84-career blocks, she is two away from fifth in program history.

Mississippi State University Athletics

No. 6/7 Bulldogs Open SEC Tournament Play Friday

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Players Mentioned

Dominique Dillingham

Roshunda Johnson

Teaira McCowan

Victoria Vivians

Morgan William

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