STARKVILLE–Mississippi State women's basketball hosts Kentucky inside Humphrey Coliseum on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.
GAME INFORMATION
Mississippi State [20-7, 7-5 SEC] vs. Kentucky [10-16, 3-9 SEC]
Date:Thursday, Feb. 22 |Time:6:30 p.m. CT
Location: Starkville, Miss. [Humphrey Coliseum – 9,100]
Watch: SEC Network+
Listen:MSU Radio Network - Starkville 96.1
Fans who are not in attendance can follow action on SEC Network+ or through their Mississippi State radio station with Jason Crowder. Live statistics will be available through the link attached above.
Mississippi State trails in the all-time series 31-24 and is tied 11-11 in Starkville. Mississippi State looks to secure the season sweep after it defeated Kentucky in overtime, 77-74, inside Rupp Arena on Feb. 1. Behind a trio of triples from senior guard Darrione Rogers and sophom*ore guard Debreasha Powe, the Bulldogs scored nine points over the final 47 seconds of regulation to force an extra period and secure the conference road win. Mississippi State has won its two contests against Kentucky under head coach Sam Purcell, but both contests have come down to the wire with the Bulldogs winning the pair by a total margin of four points.
Graduate student center Jessika Carter finished with 25 points on 9-15 from the field and 7-7 from the free throw line, in addition to 13 rebounds, three blocks and two assists in a career-high 42 minutes in the first time out with the Wildcats this season.
Carter is having a career year with career-best averages in points, rebounds and minutes with a near double-double average of 14.8 points, 9.9 rebounds in 31.6 minutes per game. She has turned in 11 double-doubles this season – her best season total – and 39 for her career.Carter is one of six SEC players with double-digit double-doubles this season.
With the latest win, head coach Sam Purcell became the first head coach in school history – men's or women's – to record consecutive 20-plus win seasons to start their tenure. He is also one of 11 SEC head coaches all time to notch 20 or more wins in each of their first two seasons and one of five since 2000. Purcell's 42 overall, 16 SEC and two NCAA Tournament victories also lead all head coaches in program history through their first two seasons.
Mississippi State leads the conference with five SEC Player of the Week honors this season, in addition to two Freshman of the Week honors. The seven total weekly conference honors have been awarded to six different players.Carter is one of three players in the SEC to earn multiple Player of the Week honors this season.
Senior guard Jerkaila Jordan is also posting one of the best seasons of her career with a team-high 16.6 points and 2.3 steals, in addition to career-high marks in rebounds, assists and minutes with 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 31.4 minutes per game. With a team-high 18 points last time out at Ole Miss on Feb. 18, Jordan has led the team in points in 14 games and has finished with 10-plus points in 22 of 27 contests this season.
Graduate studentguard Lauren Park-Laneleads the SEC and is eight nationally with 165 assists this season.She is one of just three players in the country to rank inside the top eight for total assists each of the last two seasons. Park-Lane has led the team in assists in 10 of 12 SEC contests and in 23 of 27 overall.
Park-Lane has dished out 30 assists over the last four games and is currently averaging 6.1 per game which is 11thnationally and the second-best single season assist average in program history.
Mississippi State has been dominant down low during SEC action with 37.0 points in the paint per contest since the start of the conference schedule. This is due in large part to the recent play of graduate student forward Erynn Barnum.After 16 points on 6-9 from the field at Ole Miss on Feb. 18, Barnum has scored 10-plus points in each of the last five contests and is averaging 16.6 points on 64.2 percent from the field (34-53) and 5.0 rebounds over the stretch.
Powe remains one of the conference's best threats from behind the arc and is connecting on a career-best 40.5 percent on 53-131 from three this season - an +10.3percent increase from her freshman year. Her 53 three pointers rank second in the SEC and her 40.5percent is also third.
Mississippi State is back in action when it makes the short trip to take on Alabama inside Coleman Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 4:00 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
