No. 8 Seed Mississippi State Opens SEC Tournament With No. 9 Texas A&M
March 06, 2024 | Women's Basketball
GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 8 seed Mississippi State women's basketball opens postseason play on Thursday when it faces No. 9 seed Texas A&M in the Second Round of the 2024 SEC Tournament inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.
GAME INFORMATION
Mississippi State [21-10, 8-8 SEC] vs. Texas A&M [18-11, 6-10 SEC]
Date: Thursday, March 7 | Time: 11:00 a.m. CT
Location: Greenville, S.C. [Bon Secours Wellness Arena]
Watch: SEC Network
Listen: MSU Radio Network - Starkville 96.1
Fans who are not in attendance can follow action on SEC Network with Christy Thomaskutty and Eric Frede on the call or through their Mississippi State radio station with Jason Crowder. Live statistics will be available through the statbroadcast link attached above.
Mississippi State leads its series with Texas A&M 12-6 overall and 2-1 in neutral site contests – all of the neutral site contests have come in the SEC Tournament since 2017. Mississippi State defeated Texas A&M inside Reed Arena earlier in the season on Feb. 4, 74-63, for its third win in a six-day stretch.
Mississippi State is 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the SEC Tournament against Texas A&M under head coach Sam Purcell. No. 13 seed Texas A&M spoiled Purcell's SEC Tournament debut last season when it defeated No. 5 seed Mississippi State, 79-72, in the Second Round.
Mississippi State is 26-43 all-time in the SEC Tournament and 7-5 all-time in SEC Tournament contests played in Greenville, S.C. It is only the fourth time in program history – 1988, 1992, 2004 - and the first since 2004 that Mississippi State will be the No. 8 seed in the SEC Tournament.
Mississippi State is 3-1 all-time against No. 9 seeds in the SEC Tournament, most recently defeating No. 9 seed Kentucky, 81-58, in the 2018 SEC Tournament. The Bulldogs have also played in six SEC Championships, including five-straight appearances from 2016-20, and won in 2019.
With a 21-10 record in the regular season, Purcell became the first head coach in school history – men's or women's – to record consecutive 20-plus win seasons to start their tenure. He is also one of 11 SEC head coaches all time to notch 20 or more wins in each of their first two seasons and one of five since 2000. Purcell's 43 overall, 17 SEC and two NCAA Tournament victories also lead all head coaches in program history through their first two seasons.
Mississippi State earned seven weekly conference honors this season with five SEC Player of the Week honors and two Freshman of the Week accolades. The seven total weekly conference honors have been awarded to six different players. Graduate student center Jessika Carter is one of four players in the SEC to earn multiple Player of the Week honors this season and the seven total selections are the program's most since 2018-19.
There will be NCAA Tournament implications when Mississippi State (Last Four In) and Texas A&M (First Team Out) tip off on Thursday based on the latest projections by Charlie Creme. Purcell is the only head coach in program history to lead their team to an NCAA Tournament berth in their first season in 2022-23, where Mississippi State made history as the first First Four team to advance to the Second Round.
Senior guard Jerkaila Jordan and Carter each earned Second Team All-SEC honors on Tuesday. Mississippi State was one of five schools with multiple First or Second Team selections (Alabama, South Carolina, LSU and Ole Miss were the others)
Jordan is also posting one of the best seasons of her career with a team-high 16.0 points and 2.2 steals, in addition to career-high marks in rebounds, assists and minutes with 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 31.1 minutes per game. Jordan has led the team in points in 14 games and has scored 10-plus points in 24 of 30 contests this season.
Carter is currently averaging a double-double with career-best marks in points, rebounds and minutes. She is averaging 15.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks on 52.6 percent from the field in 31.9 minutes per contest.
With four double-doubles in the last seven contests, Carter extends her double-double total to 13 this season - her best single-season total - and 41 for her career. She is one of six SEC players with 10-plus double-doubles this season and her career total ranks second among active conference players and third in program history.
Graduate student guard Lauren Park-Lane leads the SEC and ranks sixth nationally with 185 assists this season. She is one of just three players in the country to rank inside the top eight for total assists each of the last two seasons. Park-Lane has led the team in assists in 13 of 15 SEC contests and in 26 of 30 overall.
Park-Lane is currently averaging 6.2 assists per contest, which is also ninth nationally and stands as the second-best single-season assist average in program history. She is on pace to break the program single-season assist record of 202 set by Jazzmun Holmes in 2018-19 with 18 more assists.
Sophomore Debreasha Powe is one of the conference's best from behind the arc and is connecting on a career-best 41.1 percent on 62-151 from three this season - an +10.9 percent increase from her freshman year. Her 62 three pointers and 41.1 percent each rank third in the SEC.
The winner of Thursday's matchup will face No. 1 seed South Carolina
GAME INFORMATION
Mississippi State [21-10, 8-8 SEC] vs. Texas A&M [18-11, 6-10 SEC]
Date: Thursday, March 7 | Time: 11:00 a.m. CT
Location: Greenville, S.C. [Bon Secours Wellness Arena]
Watch: SEC Network
Listen: MSU Radio Network - Starkville 96.1
Fans who are not in attendance can follow action on SEC Network with Christy Thomaskutty and Eric Frede on the call or through their Mississippi State radio station with Jason Crowder. Live statistics will be available through the statbroadcast link attached above.
Mississippi State leads its series with Texas A&M 12-6 overall and 2-1 in neutral site contests – all of the neutral site contests have come in the SEC Tournament since 2017. Mississippi State defeated Texas A&M inside Reed Arena earlier in the season on Feb. 4, 74-63, for its third win in a six-day stretch.
Mississippi State is 3-1 overall and 0-1 in the SEC Tournament against Texas A&M under head coach Sam Purcell. No. 13 seed Texas A&M spoiled Purcell's SEC Tournament debut last season when it defeated No. 5 seed Mississippi State, 79-72, in the Second Round.
Mississippi State is 26-43 all-time in the SEC Tournament and 7-5 all-time in SEC Tournament contests played in Greenville, S.C. It is only the fourth time in program history – 1988, 1992, 2004 - and the first since 2004 that Mississippi State will be the No. 8 seed in the SEC Tournament.
Mississippi State is 3-1 all-time against No. 9 seeds in the SEC Tournament, most recently defeating No. 9 seed Kentucky, 81-58, in the 2018 SEC Tournament. The Bulldogs have also played in six SEC Championships, including five-straight appearances from 2016-20, and won in 2019.
With a 21-10 record in the regular season, Purcell became the first head coach in school history – men's or women's – to record consecutive 20-plus win seasons to start their tenure. He is also one of 11 SEC head coaches all time to notch 20 or more wins in each of their first two seasons and one of five since 2000. Purcell's 43 overall, 17 SEC and two NCAA Tournament victories also lead all head coaches in program history through their first two seasons.
Mississippi State earned seven weekly conference honors this season with five SEC Player of the Week honors and two Freshman of the Week accolades. The seven total weekly conference honors have been awarded to six different players. Graduate student center Jessika Carter is one of four players in the SEC to earn multiple Player of the Week honors this season and the seven total selections are the program's most since 2018-19.
There will be NCAA Tournament implications when Mississippi State (Last Four In) and Texas A&M (First Team Out) tip off on Thursday based on the latest projections by Charlie Creme. Purcell is the only head coach in program history to lead their team to an NCAA Tournament berth in their first season in 2022-23, where Mississippi State made history as the first First Four team to advance to the Second Round.
Senior guard Jerkaila Jordan and Carter each earned Second Team All-SEC honors on Tuesday. Mississippi State was one of five schools with multiple First or Second Team selections (Alabama, South Carolina, LSU and Ole Miss were the others)
Jordan is also posting one of the best seasons of her career with a team-high 16.0 points and 2.2 steals, in addition to career-high marks in rebounds, assists and minutes with 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 31.1 minutes per game. Jordan has led the team in points in 14 games and has scored 10-plus points in 24 of 30 contests this season.
Carter is currently averaging a double-double with career-best marks in points, rebounds and minutes. She is averaging 15.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks on 52.6 percent from the field in 31.9 minutes per contest.
With four double-doubles in the last seven contests, Carter extends her double-double total to 13 this season - her best single-season total - and 41 for her career. She is one of six SEC players with 10-plus double-doubles this season and her career total ranks second among active conference players and third in program history.
Graduate student guard Lauren Park-Lane leads the SEC and ranks sixth nationally with 185 assists this season. She is one of just three players in the country to rank inside the top eight for total assists each of the last two seasons. Park-Lane has led the team in assists in 13 of 15 SEC contests and in 26 of 30 overall.
Park-Lane is currently averaging 6.2 assists per contest, which is also ninth nationally and stands as the second-best single-season assist average in program history. She is on pace to break the program single-season assist record of 202 set by Jazzmun Holmes in 2018-19 with 18 more assists.
Sophomore Debreasha Powe is one of the conference's best from behind the arc and is connecting on a career-best 41.1 percent on 62-151 from three this season - an +10.9 percent increase from her freshman year. Her 62 three pointers and 41.1 percent each rank third in the SEC.
The winner of Thursday's matchup will face No. 1 seed South Carolina
Players Mentioned
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