Women's Basketball Team Hosts In-state Rival Mississippi State
12/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 14, 2010
Saturday, Dec. 15, 2010 • Hattiesburg, Miss.
Tip-off: 7 p.m. (central)
Arena: Reed Green Coliseum
Radio: WXHB-FM 96.5
TV: None
Ranking: None
Southern Miss: Joye Lee-McNelis (Southern Miss, '84)
93-99 at Southern Miss (Six Years);
322-255 (20 Years)
Mississippi State: Sharon Fanning-Otis (Chattanooga, `75)
258-201 at Mississippi State (16 Years); 585-489 (35 years)
Before the Tip
Southern Miss plays its third SEC team this season with a match up against in-state rival Mississippi State on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The game will be carried live on the Southern Miss Sports Radio Network on WXHB-FM 96.5.
The Lady Eagles are 5-3 after a 73-64 win on Dec. 11 against Tennessee State. Tanesha Washington led all scorers tying a career-high with 27 points and grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds. Rachel Vigers and Jamierra Faulkner scored 19 and 12 points, respectively. Faulkner also dished out 12 assists in registering her second double-double of the season.
Head Coach Joye Lee-McNelis is in her seventh season at Southern Miss and her 21st overall.
Vigers continues to lead the team in scoring with 16.5 points per game average. Washington leads the team in rebounding at 9.1 caroms per game and is second on the team in scoring at 14.9 points. Jamierra Faulkner has dished out 52 assists and collected 23 steals.
As a team, Southern Miss is averaging 65.8 points and 40.5 rebounds per game. The Lady Eagles are shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 60.8 percent from the line. Of the 12 active players, all but one has scored at least two points.
Scouting Mississippi State
Mississippi State enters the game with a 5-2 record after a 61-52 win over Utah. The Lady Bulldogs have posted wins over USC Upstate, South Alabama, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, North Texas and Utah. The losses were Tulane and Louisiana Tech.
Mississippi State returns only four letterwinners including one starter from last year's team that finished 21-13, advancing to the "Sweet 16" in the NCAA Tournament. Diamber Johnson leads the team in scoring with 14.3 points per game average while Ashley Brown leads the team in rebounding with 11.0 rebounds per game.
As a team, the Lady Bulldogs are averaging 63.9 points and 43.1 rebounds while shooting 42.2 percent from the field and 63.3 percent from the line. MSU has connected on 35-107 from behind the arc.
The Series
This is the 37th meeting between the two teams. Southern Miss leads the all-time series, 21-15, dating back to the 1975-76 season. Mississippi State won the first three meetings between the two teams. Since 2000, the Lady Bulldogs have won four of the last seven meetings, including last year's game.
What Next?
Southern Miss hits the road for a pair of games at St. John's-Chartwells Holiday Classic, Dec. 18-19. The games can be heard on WXHB-FM 96.5 with the "Voice of the Lady Eagles" Josh West providing play-by-play action.
From the Promotions Office
Here is what is on tap from the Mississippi State game from the promotions front. The first 250 fans will get a Go Gold T-shirt, a visit from Santa Claus and $2 tickets with Toy donation.
