No. 21/21 Mississippi State Hosts RV/RV Miami (Fla.) For ACC/SEC Challenge

STARKVILLE – No. 21/21 Mississippi State women's basketball hosts its inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge game when the Bulldogs welcome RV/RV Miami to Humphrey Coliseum on Wednesday at 6:15 p.m. CT on SEC Network.

GAME INFORMATION
Mississippi State (8-0) vs. Miami (5-0)
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 29 | Time: 6:15 p.m. CT
Location: Starkville, Miss. (Humphrey Coliseum - 9,100)
Watch: SEC Network (Talent: Tamika Catchings and Roy Philpott)
Listen: MSU Radio Network - Starkville 96.1 (Play-By-Play: Jason Crowder)

Fans not in attendance can follow action with talent Tamika Catchings and Roy Philpott on SEC Network or through their affiliate radio station with play-by-play Jason Crowder. Live statistics throughout the contest will be available at statbroadcast.com.

Wednesday marks the second-ever series matchup between Mississippi State and Miami (Fla.) and the first since 1987. Mississippi State leads the series 1-0 after it won a 81-67 neutral-site contest almost four decades prior. It will also be the second ACC opponent that Mississippi State has faced over the last three games after defeating Clemson 81-78 in game one of the 2023 Van Chancellor Classic last Friday.

Miami (Fla.) enters Wednesday 5-0 on the season and receiving votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Top-25 polls. It will be the first road game of the early schedule for the Hurricanes, who opened the season with five quick wins by an average margin of +22.6. The Hurricanes boast two double-digit scorers through the initial portion of the season in junior guards Jasmyne Roberts and Shayeann Day-Wilson. Roberts leads the team with 10.8 points on 51.3 percent from the field.

Mississippi State enters the contest 18-2 at home under head coach Sam Purcell and 12-0 at home against non-conference regular season opponents. Mississippi State has now won 14 consecutive non-conference home games dating back to December 19, 2021.

Mississippi State returns to Humphrey Coliseum after a four-game stretch in which it left unscaved after a tightly contested battle on the road at Belmont three-day round-robin tournament at the 2023 Van Chancellor Classic over Thanksgiving break.

After extending an 8-0 start, Mississippi State earned the No. 21 spot in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Top-25 polls over the last two days. The unblemished mark also tied the program's best start since the 2019-20 season.

Sophomore guard Debreasha Powe went for a career-high 24 points and senior guard Darrione Rogers added 22 points in her first start at Mississippi State to combine for 46 points on 12-22 from three-point range, while all 10 players scored in an 102-58 win over Tulsa at the 2023 Van Chancellor Classic last time out on Sunday. Senior guard Jerkaila Jordan added 10 points and 13 rebounds in the effort for her sixth career double-double, while graduate student guard Lauren Park-Lane posted 14 points and 10 assists for her second-straight point-assist double-double. The pair earned All-Tournament Team honors and the Bulldogs were crowned the 2023 Van Chancellor Classic Champions.

Park-Lane has turned in 28 assists over the last three games compared to 19 in her first five. The graduate student guard is close to surpassing 2,000 career points and currently stands at 1,976 for her career - which ranks ninth among active players. Park-Lane also ranks second among active players in career assists with 745. Her latest performance against Tulsa marked her 14th double-double of her career - all point-assist - and the 16th time she has dished out 10-plus assists in a game.

Most of the battle will be beyond the arc as Miami (Fla.) ranks 19th nationally and leads the ACC in only allowing 22.5 percent from three, while Mississippi State has set or tied new season-highs in threes made and three-point percentage each of the last three games, including last time out where it hit 14 threes on 14-29 from the field for 48.3 percent. Mississippi State is also moving the ball well on offense as it has posted back-to-back 20-plus assists games - 20 against Tulsa and 24 against Clemson - and ranks top-25 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio. It recorded a season-high and second-most assists under Purcell with 24 assists against Clemson and assisted on 24 of 32 field goals made in the effort. Tulsa also marked the eight game under Purcell - 8-0 - with 20-plus assists.

The three turnovers against Tulsa ties the lowest turnover total since Feb. 22, 2009 against Tennessee.

Mississippi State boasts multiple top defensive statistics nationally all without fouling. The Bulldogs rank second nationally with only 10.8 fouls per game. Mississippi State is currently averaging 44.8 rebounds per game, which ranks 27th nationally and is outrebounding its opponents by +15.8 per game, which ranks ninth nationally.

Mississippi State has outrebounded all eight of its opponents this season and is 29-2 under Purcell when doing so. The Bulldogs holds a 137-49 advantage over their opponents in second-chance points this season and has yet to allow an opponent to score more in second-chance efforts.

No. 21/21 Mississippi State Hosts RV/RV Miami (Fla.) For ACC/SEC Challenge

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Players Mentioned

Jerkaila Jordan

Lauren Park-Lane

Debreasha Powe

Darrione Rogers

Mississippi State University Athletics