No. 6 MSU Hosts Teddy Bear Toss Saturday To Wrap Four-Game Homestand

Saturday, November 24

Starkville

2:00 PM

Mississippi State

Jackson State

No. 6 MSU Hosts Teddy Bear Toss Saturday To Wrap Four-Game Homestand

November 23, 2018 | Women's Basketball

Buy Tickets Watch On SECN+Radio Info Online Audio Game Notes

By Brock Turnipseed, Associate Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Teddy Bears will fly at halftime of Saturday's women's basketball game between No. 6 Mississippi State and Jackson State.

The Bulldogs wrap a four-game homestand with their annual Teddy Bear Toss at 2 p.m. inside Humphrey Coliseum.

Doors open at 12:30 p.m., and fans who bring a stuffed Teddy Bear get free admission.

Saturday's game also gives MSU fans their first opportunity to take pictures with the Golden Egg, as the contest will be the first stop on the #GoldenEggTour.

Fans can purchase tickets online at HailState.com/Tickets up to four hours before tip at the price of $5 for adults and $3 for youth age 17 and under. Walk-up general admission tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for youth.

MSU students get in free with a valid student ID, and Bully's Kids Club members also get free admission with their membership card.

Fans unable to attend can stream the game on SEC Network + via WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app.

The radio broadcast can be heard on the MSU Radio Network, as well as online at www.HailState.com/Plus and the TuneIn app.

Games and inflatables will be available for families at Bully's Kidz Kourt inside Mize Pavilion starting at 12:30 p.m.

Mississippi State has jumped out to a 5-0 start this season behind a high-powered offense and stifling defense. The Bulldogs have averaged a nation's third-most 96.0 ppg while holding opponents to 45.8 ppg, the 12^th-best tally in the nation.

Teaira McCowan posted her 43^rd-career double-double in Wednesday's win against Furman. The Brenham, Texas, native made a school-record 11-for-11 from the field to tally 24 points and 10 rebounds. That effort raised her season averages to 18.8 ppg and 12.2 rpg. She also tops the country in blocked shots with 4.4 per game.

McCowan and sophomore Chloe Bibby led five Bulldogs in double figures in Wednesday's 65-point win. Bibby knocked down 8-of-10 tries from the field, including 5-of-6 from 3-point range, for the first 20-point game of her career (21 points).

Bibby, who has reached double figures in all five games this season, tops the SEC making 59.3 percent from the arc. The Australia native has made 10 of her last 13 tries from 3-point range.

Senior Anriel Howard follows McCowan in scoring on the season, averaging 13.6 ppg to go with 8.6 rpg. The Atlanta, Georgia, native has found her offensive rhythm the last three games, averaging 17.0 points behind 54.5 percent shooting from the field. She has also pulled down 9.0 rpg in that stretch.

Jackson State brings a 1-3 record into Saturday's contest. The Tigers are led by Christina Ellis' 17.8 ppg. Ellis was named SWAC Player of the Week after tallying 19 points against Central Arkansas and 25 against Louisiana.

GAME INFORMATION
Opponent: Jackson State
Location: Starkville, Miss. (Humphrey Coliseum)
Time: Saturday, 2:02 p.m.
Doors Open: 12:30 p.m.
Tickets: HailState.com/Tickets
Watch Online: SEC Network + (PxP - Bart Gregory; Analyst - Charlie Winfield)
Listen: MSU Radio Network and HailState.com/Plus (PxP – Jason Crowder; Analyst – Blair Schaefer)

PROMOTIONS

Teddy Bear Toss – Free admission with a stuffed Teddy Bear
Pictures with the Golden Egg – Stop No. 1 on the #GoldenEggTour
Maroon Memories – HailState.com/memories
Bully's Kidz Kourt (Opens at 12:30 p.m.)

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: MSU leads 13-11
At MSU: MSU leads 9-3
At JSU: JSU leads 7-2
Neutral Sites: MSU leads 2-1
Last Meeting: MSU, 81-42 (11/13/13 in Starkville)

BULLDOG BITES

State has won 41 straight regular-season non-conference contests.
MSU has claimed 24-consecutive wins in the Hump, the 5th-longest active streak in the nation.
State's 76 wins since 2016-17 are the most in the nation.
Seniors Jazzmun Holmes and Teaira McCowan have won 104-career games.
MSU has scored 100+ points in three straight games for the first time in program history.
The Bulldogs are 7th nationally in FG% (53.1%) and 3rd in FG% defense (26.9%).
State's 96.0 ppg is 3rd in Division I, while its 45.8 ppg allowed is 12th. MSU also tops the country in scoring margin with a +50.2 ppg.
After blocking 8 shots against Furman, MSU continues to top the country, averaging 10.0 bpg. McCowan is also the nation's best, averaging 4.4 bpg, and freshman Jessika Carter is 3rd in the SEC and 23rd nationally with 2.6 bpg.
McCowan claimed her 43rd career double-double and 10th in her last 11 games with 24 points and 10 rebounds against Furman. It was her 11th-straight double-figure game going back to last season, with 8 of those being 20+ point outings.
McCowan was 11-for-11 from the field Wednesday, the first time a Bulldog has gone perfect from the field on 10-plus attempts.
Chloe Bibby notched a career-best 21 points on Wednesday. It was her first 20-point game, and she has scored double figures in all five games. She has made 10 of her last 13 3-point tries.
Anriel Howard is averaging 17.0 pts., 9.0 rbds. and is shooting 54.5% from the field, 50% from 3-point range her last 3 games. Howard needs 2 points to reach 1,000 for her career
Holmes is 13th in the country in assist/turnover ratio (5.2). She tallied her 300th-career assist on Wednesday.

LAST TIME OUT FOR MSU...

State shot 62.7% from the field and eclipsed 100 points for the 3rd-straight game as it rolled past Furman 106-41.
The Bulldogs used a 30-0 run over the first and second quarters to build a 60-18 halftime lead.
Teaira McCowan recorded a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds to lead five Bulldogs in double figures. Chloe Bibby added a career-best 21 points. Andra Espinoza-Hunter tallied 14 points, while Anriel Howard contributed 12 and Myah Taylor 10.

GET TO KNOW THE OPPONENT…

Jackson State is 1-3 to start the season under first-year coach Tomekia Reed.
The Tigers dropped a 68-61 decision at Louisiana on Monday after defeating Central Arkansas 65-56.
JSU averages 64.0 ppg and shoots 40% from the field, 29% from 3-point range and 61% from the free-throw line.
Christina Ellis leads JSU with 17.8 ppg. She was named SWAC Player of the Week after scoring 19 points vs. Central Arkansas and 25 against Louisiana.

TOUGH AT THE HUMP

The Dawgs have now won 24-straight games inside Humphrey Coliseum. That run is the 5th-longest active home win streak in NCAA Division I.

NCAA Division I Longest Active Home Win Streaks
               Team                                     Wins
1.            UConn                                  81
2.            Lamar                                   31
3.            Notre Dame                        27
4.            Baylor                                   25
5.            Mississippi State                 24

STATE STELLAR IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

The Bulldogs have been stellar in regular-season non-conference games, winning 41-straight contests. The last time MSU dropped a non-conference game in the months of November and December was at Texas on Dec. 2, 2015.
Including the postseason, MSU has won 39 games in a row against non-conference competition inside The Hump. The Bulldogs' last home loss to a non-SEC foe came against South Florida in the WNIT quarterfinals on March 30, 2014.