State Women Host Tulane in Second Round of WNIT
All tickets are general admission and are $9 for the general public and $4 for MSU students who present a valid student ID card. Tickets will be sold on Sunday only, and the Humphrey Coliseum Ticket Office will open at 1 p.m. prior to the start of the game at 2 p.m.
The Lady Bulldogs and Green Wave have a short six-game history, as Tulane leads 4-2. The Green Wave hold a 2-1 advantage in games played in Starkville and the two schools have not met since the 1995-96 season.
MState enters the contest having its longest postseason layoff since the 1998-99 season when MSU waited 15 days to play its opening round game of the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Bulldogs are 17-13 overall on the year and finished 7-7 in Southeastern Conference play. In their last contest, back on March 1, the Lady Bulldogs fell to Florida, 63-69, in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
This is MState's eighth postseason appearance during the Sharon Fanning era. In their four previous appearances, State is 3-4 all-time in the WNIT. They advanced to the 2001 Quarterfinals before falling to James Madison.
Junior forward Imesia Jackson leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.4 points per game. Sophomore guard Marneshia Richard and freshman guard Alexis Rack are second on the, posting identical averages of 10.3. Freshman forward Bethany Washington is the team's leading rebounder, bringing down seven boards per game.
In their game prior to Sunday's, Tulane defeated Jackson State 76-43 in New Orleans. The Green Wave opened the game on a 28-7 run and led by 21, 41-20, at the intermission. Alendra Brown scored a career-high 19 points. TU outscored the Tigers 56-16 in points in the paint and out-rebounded JSU 52-38. Dominique Philpots added eight rebounds to lead the team.
Jami Montagnino leads the team in overall scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game; while D'Aundra Henry is second with 11.7 points each time out.
The winner of Sunday's contest advances to face the winner of Monday night's Western Kentucky/Minnesota contest. The game will be played on the home floor of Monday night's winner at a time to be determined.