Southern Miss Plays Against In-State Rival Mississippi State
12/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2006
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- - The Southern Miss women's basketball team hosts in-state rival Mississippi State on Sunday, Dec. 10 at 2 p.m.
The game will be broadcast over WXHB-FM 96.5 with the "Voice of the Lady Eagles" Jason Baker providing play-by-play action with former coach Kay James as the color analyst.
Southern Miss (3-6) is coming off a 70-49 loss to Arkansas-Little Rock in which both teams shot over 50 percent for the game. Emer Foley led all scorers with a game-high 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Kendra Reed chipped in 11 points.
Amber Eugene returns to action after sitting out the last two games recovering from a concussion. Freshman Nora Brooks will miss the remainder of the season after sustaining a hand injury.
Foley continues to lead the team in scoring and rebounding at 18.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Eugene is averaging 15.8 points while Reed is averaging 14.2 points.
As a team, Southern Miss is averaging 62.8 points and 39.1 rebounds per game while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 74.5 percent from the line. The Lady Eagles are shooting 38.2 percent from three-point range.
Mississippi State (4-2) is coming off a 76-70 loss to UAB. Robin Porter scored a career-high 23 points and Marneshia Richard added 16 points.
Imesia Jackson leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 13.2 points and 6.5 rebounds, while Porter second on the team in scoring at 12.2 points.
As a team, the Lady Bulldogs are averaging 69.7 points and 45.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 38.8 percent from the field and 62.9 percent from the line.
Following the Mississippi State game, Southern Miss takes three days off to finish final exams before hitting the road for the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islander Invitational, Dec. 16-17. The Lady Eagles play Cal Poly in the opening game of the tournament at 6 p.m., and will play either the host Texas A&M Corpus Christi or St. Mary's. (Calif.)
SOMETHING ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE f¤ Mississippi State is 4-2 after a 76-70 loss to UAB on Dec. 3. Head Coach Sharon Fanning is in her 11th season at MSU and 31 overall. The Bulldogs return three starters from last year's team that posted a 6-22 record. Fanning reached the 500-win plateau on Nov. 10 when State defeated Troy. The Lady Bulldogs have two players averaging in double-figures, Imesia Jackson and Robin Porter. As a team, State is hold its opponents to 36 percent shooting from the field, including 29.2 percent from three-point range. The Bulldogs average 45.5 rebounds per game and holds a +4.7 rebounding margin. They are forcing their opponents into 21.3 turnovers per game.
ABOUT THE SERIES AGAINST MISSISSIPPI STATE f¤ This is the 32nd meeting between the two teams. Southern Miss leads the series 19-12. MSU has won four of the last five meetings. The Lady Eagles defeated MSU last season in Starkville, 64-57.
