Bulldogs Honor Seniors, Wrap Regular Season Sunday vs. Rebels
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State honors seniors Martha Alwal, Kendra Grant, Jerica James and Savannah Carter Sunday as the 11th-ranked Bulldogs close the regular season against rival Ole Miss in a “Black Out” at Humphrey Coliseum.
Tip for the game is set for 1 p.m. on Fox Sports Net South. Fans are encouraged to wear black, and the first 250 in attendance will receive a free limited edition T-shirt. Glow sticks will be given away to the first 2,500 fans.
Tickets for the contest are $5 for adults and free for youth high school age and under. MSU students get in free with a valid student ID and also receive free pizza while supplies last.
Families can arrive early and enjoy games and inflatables beginning at noon in Bully’s Kidz Kourt in Mize Pavilion.
In addition to the television broadcast, Jason Crowder and Charlie Winfield will have the radio call on WKBB-FM 100.9 in the Golden Triangle and WXWX-FM 96.3 in Tupelo. HailStatePLUS subscribers can access the live audio stream on www.hailstate.com.
Sunday’s game is a big one for Vic Schaefer's squad as it looks to secure a double bye in next week’s SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament in Little Rock, Ark.
The Bulldogs enter the contest with the most wins in school history at 25-5 and 10-5 in SEC play. A win Sunday would secure Mississippi State a third-place finish in the league.
State also looks to sweep the season series against the Rebels after a Morgan William last-second jumper gave the Bulldogs a 64-62 win in Oxford on Jan. 22. It was the third-straight game in the series to be decided by two points, with two going to overtime.
That win was the Bulldogs’ eighth in the last 10 meetings in the series. State has won the previous seven at Humphrey Coliseum, including a 72-70 overtime decision last season.
Alwal earned her first start of the season and contributed 14 points in the first meeting. Since that point the Worthington, Minn., native has scored double figures in eight of nine games and averaged 13.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.
Alwal has enjoyed a stellar career against the in-state rival, averaging 14.9 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.4 blocks in seven games. The SEC leader in blocks this season, Alwal is averaging 9.6 points and 6.4 rebounds on the year but 11.1 points and 6.8 boards in league play.
That earlier win against the Rebels also sparked Bulldog freshman Victoria Vivians. The Carthage, Miss., native, who had 10 points in the victory, has averaged 16.4 points the last nine games after scoring 14 in Thursday’s 69-50 setback at No. 2 South Carolina.
Vivians’ stellar stretch run puts the rookie sensation second in the Southeastern Conference at 14.9 ppg this season. She scores at a 13.5 clip in league play that is eighth overall and tops among freshmen.
Ole Miss heads to Starkville 17-11 and 7-8 in SEC play after claiming three-straight wins against Auburn, Kentucky and LSU.
Tia Faleru paces the Rebels with 14.7 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest. She scores 13.1 points and grabs 10.5 rebounds in SEC play.
Erika Sisk follows with 9.0 points an outing.