Lady Bulldogs Host Ole Miss Sunday To Close Out Regular Season
STARKVILLE, Miss. - On the heels of a 68-55 win over Alabama on Thursday, Mississippi State will close out its regular season on Sunday by hosting Ole Miss. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at the Humphrey Coliseum. WFCA 107.9 will carry the game as Bart Gregory calls the action. Mississippi State will honor its lone senior, Mary Kathryn Govero before the game.
Mississippi State has relied heavily on its defense this season as the Lady Bulldogs are fifth in the league in field goal percentage defense as opponents are shooting just 37.5 percent from the field. Offensively, State is shooting 37.6 percent from the field.
Against Alabama on Thursday, Mississippi State shot a season-best 55 percent from the field for the 13-point win. The Lady Bulldogs hit 61 percent of its shots in the second half, going 11-18 from the floor.
Govero is leading the scoring charge, averaging 12.6 points a game. Junior Diamber Johnson is scoring 12.3 points a contest. Junior Ashley Brown is pacing State in rebounds with 8.2 a game which is fifth-best in the SEC. Brown is now averaging 6.1 points a game. Junior Porsha Porter is adding 10.1 points a game.
Ole Miss enters Sunday's contest having dropped six straight games. After a win at Florida on February 10, UM has fallen to LSU, Mississippi State, Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama and Tennessee. Led by head coach Renee Ladner, the Rebels rank 11th in the SEC in scoring offense and 12th in the league in scoring defense. Ole Miss ranks second in the conference in free throw percentage and ninth in 3-point field goal percentage. Freshman guard Valencia McFarland leads the way for Ole Miss, averaging 13.2 points a game. Shae Nelson is scoring 8.3 a game.
Following Sunday's game, State will play Thursday night in the first round of the SEC Tournament held in Nashville, Tenn. The Lady Bulldogs will either be the 11-seed or the 12-seed.