Lady Bulldogs Host Florida Thursday On Comcast Sports Southeast At 6 P.M.
* Game Notes (PDF)
* Updated Player Bios (PDF)
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs (6-16, 1-8 SEC) host Florida (17-5, 5-4 SEC) on Thursday, Feb. 9 in the second of a four-game home stretch to be televised on Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast at 6 p.m. in Humphrey Coliseum.
MSU can't catch a break of late, losing their seventh straight in conference play this past Sunday to South Carolina, 51-46. This marked the third SEC game that State lost in the final five minutes. Despite MSU cutting a 10-point second half lead by South Carolina down to just two with 40 seconds left, USC still came away with the win. Freshman guard/forward Robin Porter led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring for the ninth time this season with her second career double-double. She posted 14 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. Senior forward Mamie McKinney totaled 11 points and nine rebounds while sophomore guard Amy Reeder came off the bench to go 2-for-4 from three-point land and hit 3-of-4 free throws from the charity stripe for nine points.
Head coach Sharon Fanning is still in search of career-win No. 500 in her 30th season coaching. She looks to become the 24th winningest active coach to earn her 500th win and 29th coach all-time to reach that career mark.
State leads the overall series with Florida, 16-13, and holds a 10-4 record when hosting the Gators in Starkville. MSU has won four out of the last five meetings with UF, including the past two encounters in Starkville.
Florida has enjoyed two recent SEC wins over Auburn (72-61) and at ranked Kentucky (68-61). The Gators are 2-2 on the road in the conference. They totaled an impressive 12-1 non-conference record. Senior forward Dalila Eshe is leading the Gators with 13.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg followed by senior forward Brittany Davis with 12.8 ppg and 7.1 rpg and freshman guard Sha Brooks with 12.4 ppg. Both teams faced Florida State in the non-conference portion of their schedules. MSU fell to FSU, 75-59, while UF went 1-1 earlier in the season.
State hosts Alabama on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 2 p.m. Sunday will feature "Take A Kid To The Game" where any child 18 and under accompanied by an adult will get free admission.