Lady Eagle Basketball Set to Face Nationally Ranked Mississippi State
12/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- The Southern Miss women's basketball team will travel to Starkville to take on No. 9/10 Mississippi State on Wednesday, Dec. 16. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.
Southern Miss Preview
The Lady Eagles (6-2) are coming off a 57-38 win over Ole Miss at home on Dec. 12. Jerontay Clemons led the way with a team-best 17 points and six steals, Caitlin Jenkins added a double-double with 10 points and 18 rebounds to go with six blocks and Brittanny Dinkins chipped in 12 points. Jayla King added nine points to go with eight rebounds.
Clemons currently leads the Black and Gold with 12.0 points per game, while King adds 11.3 points and Jenkins 10.7. Jenkins leads the team in rebounds with 9.6 per game, with King pulling down an average 6.1 rebounds. Keri Jewett-Giles is handing out 3.8 assists per game and has a team-best 25 steals so far this season.
With the victory over instate rival Ole Miss, Southern Miss has won five of its last games. The team is averaging 59.9 points and 39.1 rebounds per game while shooting 37.9 percent from the field and 63.4 from the line. The Lady Eagles are giving up 55.4 points on 37.2 percent shooting from the field, and hold a +4.0 turnover margin against opponents.
A Look at Mississippi State
The No. 9 Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-1) are coming off their best shooting performance of the season as they defeated Louisiana Tech 93-63 on Dec. 13. Sophomore Victoria Vivians led the team with a season-high 36 points, while Morgan William and Breanna Richardson each contributed 12 points. Vivians also led the team with 7 rebounds.
Reigning SEC Coach of the Year Vic Schaefer returns four starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's team that went 27-7 (11-5 SEC) and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Schaefer has three of his top four scorers back from last season with Vivians, Williams and Richardson.
Vivians currently leads the Bulldogs with 20.1 points per game, while Teaira McCowan contributes 9.9 points. McCowan also averages a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game.
Mississippi State is averaging 86.2 points and 46.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 75 percent from the line. The Bulldogs are giving up 44.5 points to opponents, and hold a +13.9 turnover margin.
Series Notes
This is the 43rd meeting between the two teams dating back to the 1975-76 season, with Southern Miss leading the overall series 22-20. Last Season, the Bulldogs, ranked No. 22 at the time, defeated the Lady Eagles 73-46 in Hattiesburg.
Up Next
The Lady Eagles travel to Myrtle Beach, S.C. to take on North Carolina on Sunday in the Carolina Challenge, Dec. 20. The game starts at 2 p.m. CT.
