State Women Travel To South Carolina To Face Gamecocks Thursday Evening
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? The Mississippi State women’s basketball team (15-11, 3-8 Southeastern Conference) travels to the Palmetto State Thursday evening, facing the University of South Carolina Gamecocks (13-12, 2-8 SEC). Tipoff from Columbia’s Colonial Center is set for 6 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast locally on WFCA 107.9 FM with Bart Gregory calling the action.
Mississippi State leads the all-time series with South Carolina, 12-9. The Gamecocks hold a 7-3 advantage in games played in Columbia. South Carolina leads the last five meetings, 3-2. In the last five games played in Columbia, MState is 1-4. MSU last won at USC on January 6, 2005 (55-48).
South Carolina enters Thursday’s game at 13-12 on the year and 2-8 in league play. USC has won two out of its last four, both those games coming on the Gamecocks’ home floor. Freshman guard Jordan Jones leads the team in scoring with 12.2 points per game and is one of the nation’s best three-point shooters. Demetress Adams leads the team in rebounding with 9 rebounds per game.
Led in scoring by sophomore duo Alexis Rack and Tysheka Grimes, Mississippi State is seeking its first conference road win this year.
Junior guard Marneshia Richard recently eclipsed the 120-assist mark of the season, a junior class record. Richard is 47th in the country in assists per game, while Rack is 24th in three-point field goals made per game.
State is again without the services of sophomore Bethany Washington, out indefinitely after an ankle injury in the game against Mississippi on Feb. 14.
On Sunday, two free-throws by Georgia guard Ashley Houts with one second remaining sealed the victory for UGA as the Athens-based Lady Bulldogs took a 60-56 win over Mississippi State at Humphrey Coliseum. MState was led by junior guard Marneshia Richard’s 15 points. Highlighted by 10 lead changes and 14 ties, MState tied the game at 56 with a pair of free-throws from senior Imesia Jackson with 1:47 remaining in regulation. In addition to Richard’s 15, sophomore forward Grimes hit 7-of-8 free throws and brought down six rebounds and took the ball away a career-high five steals.
Following Thursday’s game, MState continues its road play at third-ranked Tennessee. Tipoff for the FSN South televised contest is slated for 1:30 p.m. CT from Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.