Women’s Basketball Hosts No. 16 Kentucky in SEC Home Opener

Sunday, January 6

Starkville

4:00 PM

Mississippi State

#16 Kentucky

Women’s Basketball Hosts No. 16 Kentucky in SEC Home Opener

January 05, 2019 | Women's Basketball

Live Video Buy Tickets Online Audio Radio Info Live Stats Game Notes

by Brian Ogden, Assistant Coordinator/Communications

STARKVILLE – After opening conference play with a win on Thursday, Mississippi State's sixth-ranked women's basketball squad returns to Humphrey Coliseum on Sunday to host No. 16 Kentucky. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. CT on SEC Network with Courtney Lyle and Tamika Catchings on the call.

Tickets are available online in advance at HailState.com/tickets for $5. Tickets for fans 17 and younger are $3. Online sales will conclude at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Ticket sales will continue at the door while supply lasts, but prices will increase to $10 for adults and $5 for children.

Fans can listen to the action on the MSU Radio Network and online via HailState.com/Plus and the TuneIn app.

MSU leads the nation, averaging 92.6 points per game. The Bulldogs are the SEC's third-best defense, allowing 53.3 ppg, but continue to boast the highest scoring margin in the country (+39.4). State also tops the conference in field goal percentage (51.4 percent), rebounding (46.64 rpg), blocked shots (7.1 bpg), assists (19.1 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.5).

Individually, Teaira McCowan is coming off the 50^th double-double of her career, an MSU record. The Brenham, Texas native pulled down a season-high 22 rebounds at Arkansas. Jordan Danberry, returning to her former school, scored a career-high 26 points. Danberry has now scored in double figures in nine straight games, averaging 14.7 ppg in that span.

In its last home game, MSU saw the fifth-largest crowd in school history (10,242) pack Humphrey Coliseum. The Bulldogs average attendance of 7,463 is seventh in the country. State's 27-game home winning streak is the fourth-longest active streak in the country

GAME INFORMATION
Opponent: No. 16/15 Kentucky
Location: Starkville, Mississippi (Humphrey Coliseum)
Time: Sunday, 4 p.m.
Doors Open: 2:30 p.m.
Watch: SEC Network (PxP – Courtney Lyle; Analyst – Tamika Catchings)
Listen: MSU Radio Network and HailState.com/Plus (PxP – Jason Crowder; Analyst – Charlie Winfield)

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: UK leads 27-20
At MSU: UK leads 10-9
At UK: UK leads 12-9
Neutral Sites: UK leads 5-2
Last Meeting: MSU, 81-58 (3/2/18 in the SEC Tournament)

BULLDOG BITES

The Bulldogs set a new school record with their sixth 100-point game of the year on Sunday, defeating Louisiana, 104-36. The SEC record is 10 games set by Alabama in the 1991-92 season.
Seniors Jazzmun Holmes and Teaira McCowan have won 112-career games, tied for the 3rd-most in the nation since 2015-16. Their 84 wins since 2016-17 lead the nation in that span.
State has been in the AP poll 83 straight weeks, including 47 weeks in a row in the Top 10.
The Bulldogs are the nation's best scoring offense, averaging 92.6 ppg. Its 53.3 ppg allowed is 12th in the country, giving the Dawgs the highest scoring margin (+39.4) in Division I.
MSU tops the SEC in FG% (51.4%), rebounding (46.6 rpg), assist/turnover ratio (1.5), assists (19.1 apg), rebound margin (+17.6), and scoring offense.
The Bulldogs continue to lead the nation in blocked shots with 100 on the year, 7.1 bpg. Teaira McCowan's 40 blocks are 3rd in the nation and lead the SEC.
Jazzmun Holmes leads the nation with a 4.9 assist/turnover ratio. Xaria Wiggins is 3rd in the SEC (3.3), and Jordan Danberry is 13th (2.0). They have helped MSU to DI's 5th-best ratio (1.50).
Teaira McCowan has scored double figures in 19 of her last 20 games going back to last season, with 9 of those being 20-point efforts. The two-time SEC Player of the Week is 19-of-20 from the free throw line over her last 7 games and shooting 68.4% from the field (39-of-57).
Over the last 7 games, Jazzmun Holmes has turned in 40 assists with just 9 turnovers. She is averaging 10.6 ppg with a 48.9% FG% (23-of-47) and making 27-of-30 from the free throw line.
Chloe Bibby is 3rd in the SEC, and 25th in the nation, sinking the triple at a 45.9% clip.
Teaira McCowan is one of just two players in the SEC to be among the top 10 in the league in both scoring and rebounding average.
MSU won its 700th game in program history on Dec. 14, defeating Southern Miss, 86-42.

LAST TIME OUT FOR MSU...

The Bulldogs opened conference play with a win for the fifth consecutive year and extended their winning streak against Arkansas to eight games with a 93-69 victory in Fayetteville.
Former Razorback and Arkansas-native Jordan Danberry scored a career-high 26 points and finished one rebound shy of a double-double. Teaira McCowan recorded her 50th career double-double, highlighted by 22 boards.
MSU scored 62 points in the paint, collected 22 offensive rebounds and picked up 22 second-chance points in the contest.

GET TO KNOW THE OPPONENT…

Kentucky enters the game with a 14-1 record after winning their SEC opener against Vanderbilt, 77-55, on Thursday night. The Wildcats' 13 wins before the new year broke the program record for wins by Jan. 1 in any season.
The Wildcats are the only team in the country with a better turnover margin (+11.2) than MSU. UK has created 402 points off turnovers this season.
Matthew Mitchell, an MSU alum, is the all-time winningest coach in UK's women's basketball history (270). He won his 300th career game on Thursday night.

STATE SCORES THE POINTS

MSU's offense has scored 100 points in 6 games this year including four straight (11/15-11/24). Six 100-point efforts in a single-season broke the school record of 5 set by last year's squad. The SEC record is 10 games set by Alabama in 1991-92.
MSU's scoring average (92.6 ppg) and scoring margin (+39.4) leads the nation.
State set a school record for points in a half with 69 in the second half against Lamar.
MSU has shot 51.4% from the field, which is 1st in the SEC and 5th in Division I. State has shot 50% or better in 7 games this year. The Dawgs are 2nd in the league from the arc, making 38.2%.
State is making 55.6% of its shots inside the arc, the 6th-best tally in the country by HerHoopStats.com.

BIG T MAKING BUCKETS

McCowan holds the MSU record with 50 career double-doubles and is 7th in the SEC in scoring this season at 16.6 ppg, but she is making shots at a 70.1% clip that tops the league and is 4th in the nation this season.
McCowan has scored double figures in 19 of her last 20 games going back to last season. In 9 of those games she has scored 20+ points after tallying 24 against Marquette.
Against Furman, McCowan was 11-for-11 from the field, the first time a Bulldog has gone perfect from the field when attempting 10-plus attempts.
McCowan had the 2nd-best field goal percentage in school history a year ago (60.1%), and her 58.7% career tally is tops in Bulldog annals.
McCowan has passed Morgan William for 9th in MSU's career scoring records with 1,513 points. That total is 3rd among active SEC players.