WBK Preview: vs Auburn

Thursday, January 19

Starkville

7:00 PM

Mississippi State

Auburn

Buy tickets

January 18, 2023 | Women's Basketball

WATCH LISTEN LIVE STATS PROGRAM GAME NOTES

By: Kelly Shipp, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – The Bulldogs are back home for a pair of games this week against Auburn and Kentucky. Mississippi State will tip things off Thursday night when they host the Tigers, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to WEAR WHITE and participate in a Humphrey Coliseum White Out.

GAME INFORMATION
Mississippi State (13-5, 2-3 SEC) vs. Auburn (10-7, 0-5 SEC)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023 // Time: 7 p.m. CT
Location: Starkville, Miss. (Humphrey Coliseum)
Watch: SEC Network + (Talent: Bart Gregory & Brock Turnipseed)
Listen: MSU Radio Network (Play-By-Play: Jason Crowder)

Numbers To Know
15 • The Bulldogs have recorded 10+ assists in 15 straight games and 17 of 18 games this season. It's the longest such streak since the 2009-10 season when they did it in 16 consecutive games from Dec. 30, 2009, to Feb. 25, 2010.
1 • Anastasia Hayes leads the SEC in total assists (95) & assists per game (5.28). She is one of only two players in the SEC with at least 90 assists and averaging at least 5 .0 assists per game. She has at least five assists in 10 of 18 games this season.
13 • Jessika Carter leads the SEC in blocked shots (48) and blocks per game (2.7). She is one of two players in the SEC with 40+ blocked shots. Carter is 13 blocked shots shy of setting a new career-high. She had 60 during the 2019-20 season
41% • Since the start of SEC play, the Bulldogs have increased their 3-point shooting percentage by nearly eight percentage points. MSU is currently shooting 41% from three, up from the 33% clip they shot it at during non-conference play

Series History
• Mississippi State and Auburn will meet for the 61st time in the series' history. Auburn holds a 35-26 advantage in head-to-head meetings.
• When the game was played in Starkville, Mississippi State leads the series, 15-14.
• The Bulldogs have won 10 straight contests against Auburn dating back to March 27, 2014.
• In MSU's last 10 wins, the Bulldogs have outscored Auburn by an average of 74.3 to 60.5.
• This will be the first time head coach Sam Purcell has coached against his alma mater. It will also be the first time Auburn head coach Johnnie Harris, a former Mississippi State assistant coach on both Final Four teams, returns to Starkville.

Mississippi State Notables
• Ahlana Smith scored 18 points at Texas A&M on Jan. 15. Her 18 points are the most she has scored in an SEC game this season and the second-most points she's scored in her career. It was also her first double-digit scoring game since scoring 10 at Vanderbilt on Dec. 29, 2022.
• MSU's win at Texas A&M snapped a 3-game losing streak, their longest of the season.
• The Bulldogs have recorded 10+ assists in 15 straight games and 17 of 18 games this season. It's the longest such streak since the 2009-10 season when they did it in 16 consecutive games from Dec. 30, 2009, to Feb. 25, 2010.
• State has forced their opponents to turn the ball over at least 15 times in 14 games this season. MSU is 11-3 in games where they force at least 15 turnovers.

SEC Assist Leader
• Anastasia Hayes leads the SEC in total assists (95) and assists per game (5.28).
• Hayes is one of only two players with at least 90 assists in the SEC this season and one of only two averaging at least 5.0 assists per game.
• Anastasia Hayes, who has played one less game than LSU's Alexis Morris, is ranked second in the SEC in conference games (30) and assists per game (6.0).
• Hayes' 11 assists at Tennessee are the second-most in a single game this season by an SEC player.
• She has recorded at least five assists in 10 of 18 games this season. She also has two double-digit assist games, tied for the most in the SEC.
• Her 95 assists are already 18 more than last season and just 34 shy of setting a career-high. Her previous career-best mark was 128 in 2020-21.

Defensive Star
• Jessika Carter leads the SEC in blocked shots (48) and blocks per game (2.7). Alabama's Jada Rice joins her as the only two players in the SEC with 40+ blocked shots.
• In conference games only, Carter ranks second behind Aliyah Boston (15) with 12 blocked shots. Boston has played one more game than Carter.
• Jessika ranks 3rd in the NCAA in blocked shots and 7th in blocks per game.
• She is 13 blocked shots shy of setting a new career-high. She had 60 during the 2019-20 season.
• In her career, she has 167 blocked shots. She is 14 shy of cracking the top 3 for career blocks at MSU.
• Carter has two games this season with six blocked shots. Her six blocked shots in a game tie for the 15th most in a single game this season.
• She has recorded 107 defensive rebounds this season and is averaging 5.9 per game, the best mark on the team.
• Carter has earned 12 steals on the year

Get-To-Know Auburn
• Auburn enters Thursday with a 10-7 overall record and an 0-5 record in the SEC. The Tigers are currently on a 5-game losing streak. They are also 0-3 on the road this season.
• Auburn has lost seven straight SEC games dating back to last season.
• They are coached by former MSU assistant coach Johnnie Harris who is in her second season leading the Tigers.
• They are averaging 70.4 ppg this season and allowing opponents to score 64.9 points per game.
• The Tigers shoot 41% from the floor and 34% from behind the arc.
• Leading the Tigers has been Aicha Coulibaly, averaging 16.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. She has also tallied 21 assists, and 25 steals this season.

Up Next
The Bulldogs will host Kentucky on Sunday, Jan. 22, at 12 p.m. in their annual "We Back Pat" game.

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."

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