PREVIEW: Women’s Hoops at LSU

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State will play on its final road game of the season on Thursday, as the Bulldogs take on LSU at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center at 6 p.m.

The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+ with Lyn Rollins (play-by-play) and Victor Howell (analyst) on the call. The matchup can also be streamed on the MSU Radio Network with Jason Crowder.

The Bulldogs enter the game on the heels of an 81-68 win against Auburn on Tuesday night. Four players finished in double-digit scoring to fuel the victory. Rickea Jackson led the way with 20 points and nine rebounds in the contest.

State has won eight straight meetings in the series against LSU, including a pair of victories last year against the Tigers. In the most recent matchup, MSU bested LSU 79-49 in the SEC Tournament. Jackson scored a game-high 23 points and recorded a double-double by adding 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Myah Taylor nearly finished with a double-double in the game, dropping 10 points and eight assists.

Bulldog Storylines

Rickea Jackson, who was named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 watch list, is averaging a team-best 16.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. The sophomore forward owns two 30-point efforts and 11 games with 20+ points during her career. Of her 20-point games, 10 came against SEC opponents.
One of the most efficient posts in the SEC, Jessika Carter ranks fifth in the league in field goal percentage (.508). She owns 18 career double-doubles, leads the team in rebounding 9.1 rpg) and is second in scoring (14.9).
After ranking eighth in the country and leading the SEC in assist/turnover ratio (2.80) last season, Myah Taylor picked up right where she left off, ranking 25th in the country and leading the SEC with a 2.69 assist/turnover ratio. Her 4.4 assists per game ranks third in the conference.
Between her scoring and assists, Taylor has been a major factor in State's offense this season. In fact, she has accounted for more than 25 percent of MSU's total scoring in eight contests, including two games during SEC play when she accounted for 50 percent or more of the team's scoring.
Because of their play this season, Carter, Jackson and Taylor were recognized as finalists for their Naismith Starting Five position awards. Jackson and Carter have also been tabbed to National Player of the Year watch lists. Combined, the trio averages 40.4 points, 17.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game.
A scoring threat and spark off the bench for Mississippi State, Aliyah Matharu is making a strong case for SEC Sixth Woman of the Year. She is averaging 10.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game this year.
Mississippi State entered a new era during the 2020-21 campaign, as women's basketball hall of famer Nikki McCray-Penson takes the helm of the women's basketball program. The Collierville, Tenn., native boasts a decorated resume to this point in her career.
- 2017 National Championship
- 2x Olympic Gold Medalist
- 2x SEC Player of the Year
- 3x WNBA All-Star
- 1997 ABL MVP
- 1997 ABL Championship
Since the start of the 2016-17 campaign, Mississippi State owns 140 wins, which is the fourth-most victories in all of Division I. UConn leads the way, while Baylor ranks second and Louisville is third.
Mississippi State wants to dominate the paint every game, and the offense's primary goal is to get the ball down low for a basket. MSU is outscoring opposing teams 626-404 in the paint, which is an average margin of more than 13.8 points per game.
The Bulldogs also average 6.9 threes per game this year, which ranks third all-time in MSU history for a single season. State only averaged more 3-pointers during the 2017-18 (7.1 3FG/game) and the 2009-10 (7.2 3FG/game) campaigns. State has been efficient from beyond the arc, shooting a .358 clip, which ranks fourth in program history for a single season.
In their game against Troy, the Bulldogs broke the program record and matched the SEC record for 3-pointers made in a single game (18).
The Bulldogs have played the fewest conference games during SEC play due to COVID issues with other teams and inclement weather. During one stretch, State played just two games during a 34-day span. A total of seven matchups this season have either been postponed/canceled without a makeup date scheduled.

For more information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU women's basketball on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateWBK."