No. 6 MSU Faces First Road Test Friday At Virginia

STARKVILLE, Miss. –Coming off a season-opening victory in front of the best fans in America, the No. 6 Mississippi State women's basketball team faces its first road test of the 2018-19 campaign Friday as it travels to Virginia.

Tip from Charlottesville is set for 6 p.m. CT, with the contest being streamed online on the ACC Network Extra. Fans can tune in on WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app.

Jason Crowder and Charlie Winfield will handle the radio broadcast on the MSU Radio Network. An online audio stream can be found at www.HailState.com/Plus and the TuneIn app.

Vic Schaefer's Bulldogs opened the campaign with an 88-53 win against Southeast Missouri Tuesday evening in Humphrey Coliseum. SEC Preseason Player of the Year Teaira McCowan recorded her 40^th-career double-double in the contest, scoring 24 points to go with seven rebounds. The Brenham, Texas, native also blocked a career-best seven shots.

She led four MSU players in double figures. Jazzmun Holmes and Chloe Bibby each tallied 11 points, while Jordan Danberry put in 10 points.

Friday will be the second-straight year the Bulldogs and Cavaliers have met on the hardwood. The teams opened the 2017-18 season in Starkville, with MSU taking a hard-fought 68-53 victory. Bibby tallied 13 points in that contest, her MSU debut, while McCowan grabbed 10 rebounds to go with seven points.

The contest will be the season opener for UVA and first-year head coach Tina Thompson. Virginia returns four starters from last year's squad that posted a 19-14 ledger and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Following Friday's game, the Bulldogs return home for four-straight contests. MSU hosts Lamar at 7 p.m. on Nov. 15. At 2 p.m. on Nov. 18, State raises the 2018 National Finalist banner before taking on Coppin State.

Tip for MSU's contest against Furman on Nov. 21 has been moved to 2 p.m. State wraps the homestand Nov. 24 with a 2 p.m. tip against Jackson State.

GAME INFORMATION
Opponent: Virginia
Location: Charlottesville, Virginia. (John Paul Jones Arena)
Time: Friday, 6 p.m. CT
Watch Online: ACC Network Extra (WatchESPN.com or WatchESPN App)
Listen: MSU Radio Network and HailState.com/Plus (PxP – Jason Crowder; Analyst – Charlie Winfield)

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: MSU leads 1-0
In Starkville: MSU leads 1-0
In Charlottesville: 0-0
Neutral Sites: 0-0
Last Meeting: MSU, 68-53 (11/10/17)

BULLDOG BITES

Mississippi State and Virginia are meeting for the second-straight year and the first time in Charlottesville. The teams faced off in Starkville to open last season, a game MSU won 68-53.
The Bulldogs hit the road for the first time having won eight-straight road games. State has won 7 non-conference road games in a row.
Friday's game is the first of 13 games for MSU this season against teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last season.
State has won 37-straight regular-season non-conference contests after opening the 2018-19 campaign with an 88-53 home win against Southeast Missouri on Tuesday.
Since 2014-15, MSU is 127-22. Those 127 wins are fourth-most nationally in that span. The Bulldogs' 72 wins the past two seasons are tied with UConn for the most in the nation.
MSU's 54 total rebounds and 26 offensive boards on Tuesday were its most since 61 rebounds, 27 offensive, against Troy in the opening round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
With Tuesday's win, seniors Teaira McCowan and Jazzmun Holmes picked up their 100th-career win. Now 100-15, their total is the fourth-most victories in the nation since 2015-16. They need 26 wins to match last year's senior class for the program wins record (126).
On Tuesday, McCowan and Anriel Howard were named to the Wooden Award Top 30 Watch List.
McCowan, the Preseason SEC Player of the Year by both league media and coaches, recorded her 40th-career double-double and seventh-straight going back to last season in Tuesday's season-opening win.
McCowan had 24 points and 17 rebounds, her ninth-career game with 20 points and 15 boards. It was the fifth time in her last six games that she has notched 20+ points.
The Brenham, Texas, native had a career-best 7 blocks in the game, a mark that tied for fifth in school single-game records.
After notching 10 points in her first MSU start, Jordan Danberry has reached double figures in two of her last three games going back to last year's Final Four.
Sophomore Andra Espinoza-Hunter will suit up for her first game as a Bulldog on Friday after having her NCAA waiver accepted on Wednesday.

BULLDOGS VS. CAVALIERS

Friday will be the second-straight meeting between the teams. The first came in the season opener a year ago, a game MSU won 68-53 en route to posting the SEC's first perfect regular season in 20 years.
Victoria Vivians led State with 22 points, while Roshunda Johnson added 18. Chloe Bibby notched 13 in her MSU debut, and Teaira McCowan tallied 10 rebounds to go with seven points.
Dominique Toussaint led Virginia with 17 points.

LAST TIME OUT FOR MSU...

State officially opened the 2018-19 campaign with an impressive 88-53 home victory against Southeast Missouri State on Tuesday.
MSU out-scored the Redhawks 52-27 over the second and third quarters. McCowan tallied 24 points, 17 rebounds and a career-best 7 blocks to lead four MSU players in double figures.
Bibby and Jazzmun Holmes tallied 11 points each, while Jordan Danberry put in 10 points.

STATE STELLAR IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

The Bulldogs have been stellar in regular-season non-conference games, winning 37-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.
MSU has won 36 in a row against non-conference competition inside Humphrey Coliseum. The Bulldogs' last home loss to a non-SEC foe came against South Florida in the WNIT quarterfinals on March 30, 2014.

SEC CHAMPS PICKED TO REPEAT

Vic Schaefer's squad won its first SEC regular-season championship a year ago, and the Bulldogs are being picked to repeat as champion.
Select league and national media members tabbed MSU to repeat and the conference coaches followed suit.

DAWGS AP PRESEASON NO. 6

MSU was No. 6 in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 Poll. State ended last season No. 4 in the poll.
The Dawgs have been in the poll for 75-straight weeks, the sixth-most consecutive weeks in the country, and the Top 10 for a nation's fifth-most 39 weeks in a row.
MSU joins Syracuse as the nation's only teams to have its football, men's basketball and women's basketball teams in the AP poll.

ANOTHER TOUGH SCHEDULE

Mississippi State has been no stranger to playing top competition, as Schaefer's squads have put together some of the toughest schedules in the country.
This year is no exception as Friday's game is the first of 13 contests against teams that played in the NCAA Tournament a year ago. It is one of seven non-conference games against foes that advanced to the postseason. The Bulldogs also face No. 3 Oregon on the road and host a Marquette squad that was ranked 19th in the AP preseason poll after winning the BIG EAST title last season.

MCCOWAN, HOLMES GET CAREER WIN NO. 100

Last year's senior class of Roshunda Johnson, Blair Schaefer, Victoria Vivians and Morgan William won 126 games to become the winningest class in MSU history, eclipsing the previous best of 111 set by Ketara Chapel, Dominique Dillingham, Chinwe Okorie and Breanna Richardson in State's upset of UConn in the 2017 Final Four.
Seniors Jazzmun Holmes and Teaira McCowan are vying to claim the all-time career wins mark as they picked up their 100th-career win on Tuesday. They are 100-15 at MSU.
Their 100 wins are fourth-most in the country going back to the 2015-16 season.

MCCOWAN HAS MONSTER SEASON OPENER

McCowan was stellar in her senior debut, tallying 24 points, 17 rebounds and 7 blocked shots. It was her 21st-career game to score 20 or more points, and it was the ninth time in her MSU career to score 20 points and grab 15 rebounds in the same game.
The performance was also the 40th double-double of her career, tied for fifth-most nationally among active players.
McCowan has recorded seven-straight double-doubles going back to last season, and she has scored 20-plus points in five of her last six outings.
The seven blocked shots set a new career high for the Brenham, Texas, native bettering her previous high of six set against Washington in the 2017 NCAA Sweet 16. That tally tied for fifth in school history and is the most by an MSU player in a game since Martha Alwal had seven swats against Alabama in 2014.

MCCOWAN IN THE CAREER RECORD BOOKS

Not only is McCowan 76 rebounds from tying LaToya Thomas' MSU career record, but she is also chasing a number of other career marks at MSU.
She eclipsed 1,300 points on Tuesday, with her 1,304 points moving her into 12th in program history.
Her 57.1% conversion rate from the field in her career also currently ranks first.
McCowan's 191 blocked shots rates second at MSU, and she has the opportunity to become just the second Bulldog to reach 200 swats.

JAZZ DROPS THE DIMES

Entering her senior season and first year as the Bulldogs' starting point guard, Jazzmun Holmes has a chance to move into MSU's career assists Top 10.
Holmes has dropped 279 dimes in her career, placing her 52 back of 10th place (331) which is currently held by Marneshia Richard (2006-08).

MARVELOUS DEBUT FOR MYAH

After redshirting a year ago, Myah Taylor made her Mississippi State debut and had an outstanding showing, scoring seven points and dishing six assists, the second-most in the SEC on opening day.
The redshirt freshman from Olive Branch, Miss., was a three-time state Gatorade Player of the Year.

DANBERRY STARTS STRONG

Senior Jordan Danberry tallied 10 points in Tuesday's season opener, her first start as a Bulldog.
Danberry has scored double figures in two of her last three games going back to last season. She had 10 in MSU's Final Four win against Louisville.

No. 6 MSU Faces First Road Test Friday At Virginia

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Chloe Bibby

Jordan Danberry

Andra Espinoza-Hunter

Jazzmun Holmes

Anriel Howard

Roshunda Johnson

Teaira McCowan

Blair Schaefer

Myah Taylor

Victoria Vivians

Morgan William

Mississippi State University Athletics

No. 6 MSU Faces First Road Test Friday At Virginia

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Chloe Bibby

Jordan Danberry

Andra Espinoza-Hunter

Jazzmun Holmes

Anriel Howard

Roshunda Johnson

Teaira McCowan

Blair Schaefer

Myah Taylor

Victoria Vivians

Morgan William

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