WBK Preview: at Georgia

Sunday, January 29

Athens, Ga.

1:00 PM

Mississippi State

Georgia

January 28, 2023 | Women's Basketball

WATCH LISTEN LIVE STATS GAME NOTES

By: Kelly Shipp, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State women's basketball is back on the road to close out its final two-game road trip as it looks to get back into the win column and move above the .500 in SEC play when it takes on Georgia in Athens on Sunday.

GAME INFORMATION
Mississippi State (15-6, 4-4 SEC) at Georgia (14-8, 3-5 SEC)
Date: Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023 // Time: 1 p.m. CT
Location: Athens, Ga. (Stegeman Coliseum)
Watch: SEC Network (Talent: Matt Stewart & Anne Marie Armstrong)
Listen: MSU Radio Network (Play-By-Play: Jason Crowder)

Numbers To Know
18 • The Bulldogs have recorded 10+ assists in 18 straight games and 20 of 21 games this season. It's the longest program streak since at least the 2006-07 season. State leads the SEC in assists per game (16.9) while ranking 24th nationally.
100 • Anastasia Hayes leads the SEC in total assists (100) and assists per game (5.0). She ranks 34th and 38th in both categories in the NCAA. If Hayes ends the season as the SEC leader in either category, she will be the first Bulldog to earn that honor.
54 • Jessika Carter leads the SEC in blocked shots (54) and blocks per game (2.5). She is one of two players in the SEC with 50+ blocked shots. Carter is seven blocked shots shy of setting a new career high. She had 60 during the 2019-20 season.
20 • For the first time all season at Ole Miss, Mississippi State lost the jump ball to open the game. Jessika Carter and MSU have won 20 in a row heading into their rivalry game.

Series History
• Mississippi State and Ole Miss will meet for the 51st time in the series' history. Georgia leads the all-time series 29-21. Georgia is on a one-game winning streak after defeating MSU 66-63 last season in Starkville. In that game, MSU erased a 27-point deficit and took a 63-62 lead late in the fourth with 53 seconds to play before UGA ultimately won the game late.
• When the game is played in Athens, UGA leads the series 16-6.
• Mississippi State has won the last three meetings in Athens, with its last loss coming in 2016.

Best Defender In America
• Jessika Carter leads the SEC in blocked shots (54) and blocks per game (2.5). Alabama's Jada Rice joins her as the only two players in the SEC with 50+ blocked shots.
• In conference games only, Carter ranks second behind Aliyah Boston (19) with 18 blocked shots.
• Jessika ranks 5th in the NCAA in blocked shots and 9th in blocks per game.
• She is seven blocked shots shy of setting a new career high. She had 60 during the 2019-20 season. • In her career, she has 173 blocked shots. She is eight shy of cracking the top 3 for career blocks at MSU.
• Jessika is three blocked shots shy of tying Teaira McCowan (57, 2016-17) for 10th on the single-season blocks list at MSU. Carter's 60 blocks during the 2019-20 season ranks ninth on the single-season list.
• 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 118 defensive rebounds this season and is averaging 5.6 per game, the best mark on the team.
• Carter has also recorded 14 steals and 31 assists on the year. Her 31 assists are double her previous career high of 16 set during the 2020-21 season
• Carter is 20-for-21 in the jump ball circle this season. She had won the first 20 jump balls of the season before State's game at Ole Miss

A Playmaker
• Anastasia Hayes leads the SEC in total assists (100), and she leads the league assists per game (5.0).
• 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 20 games this season. She also has two double-digit assist games, tied for the most in the SEC.
• Her 100 assists are already 23 more than last season and just 29 shy of setting a career-high

Most Wins By A First Year Head Coach at MSU
Head Coach Sam Purcell earned his 15th career win on Sunday. 15 is the record held by Novak. He is one win shy of having the most wins by a head coach in their first season at MSU. No coach has had a winning SEC record in year one.

Mississippi State Notables
• The Bulldogs have recorded 10+ assists in 18 straight games and 20 of 21 games this season. It's the longest streak since at least the 2006-07 season.
• State has forced their opponents to turn the ball over at least 15 times in 15 games this season. MSU is 12-3 in games where they force at least 15 turnovers.
• In the last three games, the Bulldogs are shooting 74% (51-for-69) from the free throw line. On the season, State is shooting 66% from the charity stripe.

Get-To-Know Georgia
• Georgia is coached by Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, who is in her first season at Georgia after spending the previous six seasons at UCF.
• UGA enters on a one-game winning streak after defeating Missouri 62-51 on Thursday. The Bulldogs started 2-1 in the SEC but dropped three straight to Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M.
• This season, Georgia is averaging 66.6 ppg while allowing 58.5. They shoot 43% from the floor and 29% from three.
• Leading the Bulldogs has been Diamond Battle, averaging 13.6 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game. She leads the team in assists with 68 and steals with 36.

Up Next
Mississippi State will be off next week before hosting Tennessee on Monday, Feb. 6, at 6 p.m.

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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