WBK Preview: Sun Coast Challenge

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State women's basketball team will play in the Sun Coast Challenge in Tampa, Fla. Dec. 19 and 21. The Bulldogs will take on Old Dominion and New Mexico in their final two non-conference games of the season.

GAME INFORMATION
Mississippi State (9-2) vs Old Dominion (8-3)
Date: Monday, Dec. 19 // Time: 12 p.m. CT
Location: Tampa, Fla. (Pasco-Hernando State College)
Watch: BallerTV.com (Subscription Required)
Listen: MSU Radio Network (Play-By-Play: Jason Crowder)

Mississippi State (9-2) vs New Mexico (6-4)
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 21 // Time: 12 p.m. CT
Location: Tampa, Fla. (Pasco-Hernando State College)
Watch: BallerTV.com (Subscription Required)
Listen: MSU Radio Network (Play-By-Play: Jason Crowder)

Numbers To Know
500 • Anastasia Hayes earned her 500th career assist in MSU's win over Florida A&M on Dec . 15 . Hayes becomes the only active Division 1 player with 2000+ points, 500+ rebounds and 500+ assists.
1K • We have a pair of Bulldogs getting closer to 1,000 career points . Jessika Carter enters Thursday 38 points shy of becoming the 28th member of the 1,000-point club at MSU . JerKaila Jordan is just 23 points shy of 1,000 in her impressive career . She has scored 527 at MSU and 450 at Tulane.
10 • Mississippi State has one of the best defenses in the country . They rank 4th nationally in Blocks per game (6 .6) & FG% defense (31 .7%); they ranked 6th in Scoring defense (50 .6) & 10th in steals per game (13 .1) . MSU ranks in the top 10 in 4 separate defensive categories.

Series History
• This will be the first meeting between MSU and Old Dominion.
• This will be the third all-time meeting between MSU and New Mexico.
• The series between the Bulldogs and Lobos is tied at 1-1.
• The last meeting between MSU and UNM was March 24, 2003. New Mexico won that meeting 73-61 on their home court.

Bulldog Takeaways
• Mississippi State enters the Sun Coast Challenge on a 4-game winning streak that started back on Nov. 29.
• The Bulldogs have a NET ranking of 43
• A pair of wins at the Sun Coast Challenge would improve MSU's record to 11-2. It would be State's best start since the 2019-20 season when the Bulldogs went 12-2 in non-conference play.
• Old Dominion has a NET ranking of 110 while New Mexico's NET is 190.
• Eight of MSU's nine wins this season have been by more than 20-points.
• MSU is holding opponents to just 50.6 ppg this season, the sixth-best mark in the NCAA.
• State is ranked 8^th nationally in scoring margin at 27.6 ppg

2023 Signing Class
• The early signing period ended on Wednesday, with Mississippi State signing four players for the 2023-24 season. The class was ranked as high as 16th nationally following the signing of Quanirah Cherry-Montague but should climb with the addition of junior college star Meloney Thames.
• Quanirah Cherry-Montague (Atlantic City, N.J.) – rated as a 4-star recruit and the No. 48 player in the nation
• Jasmine Powell (Joliet, Ill.) – rated as a 4-star recruit and the No. 54 player in the nation
• Mjracel Sheppard (Bellevue, Wash.) – rated as a 4-star recruit and the No. 86 player in the nation
• Meloney Thames (Choctaw, Miss.) – Junior College All-American, Second in the nation in scoring (26.3 ppg)

Get-To-Know Old Dominion
• ODU enters the Sun Coast Challenge with an 8-3 record. They have won six-straight games dating back to Nov. 27.
• Last season Old Dominion went to the second round of the WNIT.
• They average 65.8 ppg and allow 56.4 points.
• They are led by Jordan McLaughlin who is averaging 11.2 ppg with 42 assists and 13 steals.

Get-To-Know New Mexico
• New Mexico enters the Sun Coach Challenge with a record of 6-4. They have won their last two games and will play ODU on Dec. 20.
• UNM is led by Shaiquel McGruder who is averaging 14.3 ppg and 8.4 rebounds per game. She has also leds the team in blocked shots (29) and is second in steals with 23.
• The Lobos hosted No. 14 Arizona on Dec. 4 and only trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter.
• Both ODU and UNM will play back-to-back games at the Sun Coast Challenge.

Up Next
Mississippi State will open SEC play in Dec. 29^th in Nashville when the Bulldogs take on Vanderbilt. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.

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

– HailState.com –

WBK Preview: Sun Coast Challenge

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jessika Carter

Anastasia Hayes

Jerkaila Jordan

Mississippi State University Athletics