Fast Facts: Ten Things to Know as Bulldogs Resume Ole Miss Rivalry

by Brian Ogden, Assistant Coordinator/Communications

STARKVILLE – No. 6 Mississippi State resumes its rivalry with Ole Miss at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday night for the teams' second meeting of the year. The game is available live from Oxford, Mississippi, on SEC Network+ with Seth Austin and Lindsay Roy on the call.

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

The Bulldogs won the first meeting of the year back on Jan. 27, 80-49, in Starkville. Teaira McCowan scored a season-high 33 points in that meeting as MSU claimed its 10^th consecutive victory in the series. McCowan added 13 rebounds for a double-double, and Anriel Howard put up 16 points with 11 rebounds for one of her own.

MSU is coming off a dominant win at then-No. 22 Texas A&M. State's 28-point margin of victory was its largest ever over a ranked opponent. The Bulldogs extended their own ranking streak to 90 consecutive weeks in the Associated Press Top 25 this week, including a 54-week run in the Top 10.

State leads the conference in field goal percentage (49.3 percent), assist/turnover ratio (1.3), assists (17.0 apg), rebound margin (+14.8), offensive rebounds (18.3 rpg) and scoring offense (87.6 ppg).

MSU returns home to Humphrey Coliseum on Sunday afternoon to host Vanderbilt at 1 p.m. The Bulldogs penultimate home game of the regular season will air on SEC Network.

GAME INFORMATION
Opponent: Ole Miss
Location: Oxford, Mississippi (The Pavilion at Ole Miss)
Time: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Watch: SEC Network+ (PxP – Seth Austin; Analyst – Lindsay Roy)
Listen: MSU Radio Network and HailState.com/Plus (PxP – Jason Crowder; Analyst – Charlie Winfield)

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: OM leads 63-33
At MSU: OM leads 24-19
At OM: OM leads 32-13
Neutral Sites: OM leads 7-1
Last Meeting: MSU, 80-49 (1/27/19 in Starkville)

10 THINGS TO KNOW

State's 28-point victory at No. 22 Texas A&M was its largest margin of victory over a ranked team in MSU history, surpassing the Dawg's 27-point win against then-No. 15 West Alabama in 1983.
The Bulldogs lead the SEC in second-chance points this season with 473 for the year. State has recorded more second-chance points than its opponent in all but three games this season.
MSU owns the 2nd-best scoring defense in the SEC, allowing 55.9 ppg. State has allowed 60 points or fewer in 14 games this year and held four straight SEC opponents below 50 points (1/24-2/3).
Seniors Jazzmun Holmes and Teaira McCowan picked up career victory No. 122 on Sunday against Texas A&M. That total is the 4th-most nationally since 2015-16 and 4 wins away from matching last year's class (126) for the program's career wins record.
The Bulldogs are now 5-1 against AP Top 25 teams with wins against then-No. 10 Texas, then-No. 18 Marquette, then-No. 16 Kentucky, then-No. 15 South Carolina and then-No. 22 Texas A&M.
Mississippi State has led at halftime in every game this season. In fact, the Bulldogs have trailed by more than three points in just 5 games all year.
MSU has shot 49.3 percent from the field, which is 1st in the SEC and 6th in Division I. State has shot 50 percent or better in 10 games this year. The Dawgs also top the league and are 11th in the nation from the arc, making 37.8 percent.
McCowan and Anriel Howard are the only two players in the SEC to be among the top 10 in the league in both scoring and rebounding average.
McCowan and Howard are not only two of the nation's returning rebounds leaders, but they're also among the country's best at collecting double-doubles. Their 99 combined double-doubles are the most among a pair of teammates in the nation.
Holmes leads the nation with a 4.40 assist/turnover ratio. She only has 3 games this year with 3 or more turnovers against 16 contests with 5 or more assists.

LAST TIME OUT FOR MSU...

The Bulldogs bounced back with an emphatic 92-64 win at No. 22 Texas A&M.
The 28-point margin of victory is State's largest over a ranked team in school history, surpassing the Dawgs' 27-point win against then-No. 15 West Alabama on Feb. 12, 1983.
Andra Espinoza-Hunter led MSU with 24 points on the back of 7 three-pointers, which was tied for 2nd-most in a single-game in Bulldog history.
Anriel Howard (19 pts., 13 rbds.) and Teaira McCowan (12 pts., 10 rbds.) both recorded double-doubles to raise their combined total to 99 for their careers.

GET TO KNOW THE OPPONENT…

Ole Miss enters its second meeting of the season with MSU with a 9-17 (3-9 SEC) record after dropping a Monday night contest at Georgia, 78-56.
Mimi Reid is the only freshman in the SEC with a game of nine or more assists this season. Reid leads all SEC freshmen with 4.7 apg.
In the Rebels' SEC wins, La'Karis Salter averages 15.7 points. Salter, Crystal Allen and Shandricka Sessom have combined for 37.9 ppg in conference play and made 92.9 percent (65-of-70) of the Rebels' three-pointers.

Fast Facts: Ten Things to Know as Bulldogs Resume Ole Miss Rivalry

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Andra Espinoza-Hunter

Jazzmun Holmes

Anriel Howard

Teaira McCowan

Mississippi State University Athletics

Fast Facts: Ten Things to Know as Bulldogs Resume Ole Miss Rivalry

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Andra Espinoza-Hunter

Jazzmun Holmes

Anriel Howard

Teaira McCowan

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