January 2000 MSU Basketball Skuttle-Butt

01/31/00 The No. 20 Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs (16-3, 5-3) saw a school-record 17-game winning streak come to an end as the No. 12 Louisiana State Lady Tigers (16-3, 6-1), behind 22 points from senior forward Katrina Hibbert, defeated MSU for the second time this season 64-58.

"Louisiana State is a very good basketball team. They are very hard to guard," said MSU Head Coach Sharon Fanning. "We were in position to win this game and took a good shot with nine seconds left, but you have to shoot better than we did to beat a team like LSU."

A back and forth first half saw momentum change hands often between the canines and the felines. MSU jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, before LSU rattled off nine unanswered points to lead 9-5. The Lady Tigers used that momentum to carry the lead to 19-14 and eventually built a 33-22 lead with 4:20 to go in the opening period. The Lady Bulldogs stormed back before the close of the half with help from back to back three-pointers from junior guard Cynthia Hall and closed the lead to 35-30 and two Jennifer Fambrough free-throws pulled MSU within three at the half (35-32).

The second-half closely resembled its first-half mate. Louisiana State took the lead to seven (48-41) before Mississippi State came back to take the lead 51-48 by scoring eight unanswered points. The Lady Tigers would then regain the lead 52-51 and it would remain close the rest of the way with the Lady Bulldogs pulling as close as one (57-56) before LSU would pull away for the victory.

The matchup of the SEC's top two scorers, MSU freshman forward LaToya Thomas (21.2 ppg) and LSU junior guard Marie Ferdinand (17.9 ppg) saw both score below their average, with Thomas finishing with 14 and Ferdinand with 16.

Sophomore forward Fambrough led all Lady Bulldogs in scoring with 16. Also scoring in double figures for MSU was senior guard Nitra Perry. With five assists, senior guard Angela Harris moved into third place all-time at MSU, with 392 for her career and needs only 14 more to become the schools all-time leader.

Mississippi State's last defeat at Humphrey Coliseum dates back to Jan. 17, 1999 when Alabama defeated MSU 75-59 after the Lady Bulldogs shot a dismal 39 percent from the floor.

Coach Fanning's squad will hit the road for a three-game swing against SEC foes Mississippi, Georgia and Vanderbilt, before returning to Humphrey Coliseum on Feb. 13 against Albany.

Reprinted with permission from the MSU sports media relations department

01/30/00 - MSU lost 73 to 57 to Auburn yesterday. The game, for all but the final 2+ minutes, was much closer than the final score indicated. Click here for the official MSU recap and box score of the game.

MSU, playing four of its first six SEC games on the road, now plays two home games this coming Wednesday and next Sunday. Show your support by attending both games.

Don't forget that our number 20th ranked Lady Bulldogs, just off a thrilling overtime victory over the 11th ranked Auburn Lady Tigers, play LSU today at 2:00 p.m.

01/29/00 - Don't forget the men's team plays Auburn today at noon at Auburn.

01/28/00 - Nitra Perry scored 18 points and pulled down nine rebounds as No. 20 Mississippi State upset No. 11 Auburn, 74-68 in overtime, Thursday night in Humphrey Coliseum.

Mississippi State (16-2, 5-2 SEC) connected on 12 of 15 free throw attempts to outscore visiting Auburn (15-4, 4-3) in the extra frame, but had to use a desperation buzzer-beating three-pointer by Perry to send the game into overtime.

"Never say never," said Auburn head coach Joe Ciampi. "They missed the three, got the rebound and then hit the fall away. That shot gave them new life. Those kinds of things happen in basketball. They got new momentum going into overtime and we just had to fight our way through overtime."

Auburn, which trailed 42-30 after a Cynthia Hall three-pointer with 14:58 remaining, used a 16-5 run over a span of eight minutes to cut the deficit to one. Two free throws by Shana Askew gave Auburn its first lead of the game, 55-54, with 17 seconds left. However, after taking a three-point lead on two LeCoe Willingham free throws, Perry rebounded a missed shot at the other end, stepped over the perimeter stripe and connected on the three-pointer at the buzzer.

"I felt like, when they made the run down the stretch, I did not call a timeout because I had confidence that we could take the ball down and score," said head coach Sharon Fanning. "I was going to call the timeout after we scored. Obviously, we didn't have to do that. We lost our composure late. Basically, we did just enough to win this game. We got just enough rebounds and we forced just enough turnovers to win this game."

Willingham had 22 points and 13 rebounds to lead all scorers. Tasha Hamilton added 21 points for Auburn.

All five starters for Mississippi State finished with double-digit scoring nights to help the Bulldogs extend its school-record home winning streak to 16 games. The upset win was also Mississippi State's second win over a ranked team at home this season.

Reprinted with permission from the MSU sports media relations department

01/26/00 - Here is a quote from Van Coleman's latest Future Stars basketball publication:

"Although he wasn't included on the All-Tournament team, 6-9 Mario Austin, from York, AL. Sumpter County, won't spend more than two years at Mississippi State. He is a young Elton Brand type power man who impressed me with his play in the game I saw?"

01/25/00 - If you have been thinking about coming out to see the 20th ranked Lady Bulldogs play and haven't been able to pull the trigger, now is the time. MSU has home dates against 11th ranked Auburn this Thursday at 7 p.m. and 12th ranked LSU Sunday at 2 p.m. Victories over both of these nationally ranked teams would move MSU up a few notches in the polls, possibly up to 15th or better. This is really a great team and they deserve your support. They have averaged over 2,100 fans for the last three games. Come on out and let's see if we can get a crowd of 3,000 or better for both of these games.

01/24/00 - It took 18 years and 27 tries, but the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs finally beat the Alabama Crimson Tide. Mississippi State (15-2, 4-2) won its fourth consecutive Southeastern Conference match-up with an 85-65 decision over Alabama (11-6, 1-3) in Tuscaloosa Sunday.

The Lady Bulldogs made the first two baskets of the game to take a 5-0 lead and never looked back. State led throughout the entire 40 minutes of action. MSU had a 12-3 run to start the game.

With 11 minutes remaining in the first half, the Lady Bulldogs made a 21-5 run which would give State its biggest lead of the first half at 35-15 with five minutes left until half-time. Alabama had a run of its own to close the gap to eight and finish the first period 38-30, MSU.

The second half was much of the same with Mississippi State going on a 16-8 run to open the second stanza. The Lady Bulldogs led by as much as 22 points in the second half but finished the game with a 20-point margin (85-65).

Sophomore Jennifer Fambrough led State with 21 points. LaToya Thomas was, of course, not far behind chipping in 20 points to go with seven rebounds.

Senior Nitra Perry tallied 15 points and grabbed a game-high nine boards. Junior Meadow Overstreet came off the bench to score 10 points, while senior Angela Harris added nine while dishing out five assists. Junior Cynthia Hall was held to under nine points for the first time this season but did continue her streak of having sunk one from long range in 19 consecutive outings.

The last Lady Bulldog victory (76-69) over the Tide was Jan. 14, 1981, also in Tuscaloosa. Ironically, 1981 is the year in which MSU freshman sensation LaToya Thomas was born.

The Lady Bulldogs host No. 10 Auburn Thursday in Humphrey Coliseum at 7 p.m. and No. 16 Louisiana State Sunday at 2 p.m.

Reprinted with permission from the MSU sports media relations department

01/23/00 - Turning the ball over 22 times, the Bulldogs lost 83 - 73 to Arkansas at Fayetteville. For the MSU official story, please click here.

01/21/00 - A school-record crowd of 2,738 was on hand, to see four players score in double figures as the No. 21 Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs (14-2, 3-2) defeated the Arkansas Lady 'Backs (9-7, 0-4) by a score of 69-56.

The SEC's leading scorer, freshman forward LaToya Thomas, led all Lady Bulldogs in scoring with 22 on 10-of-19 shooting. Also scoring in double digits for Coach Sharon Fanning's squad were junior guard Cynthia Hall (16), sophomore forward Jennifer Fambrough (14) and senior guard Angela Harris (10).

"Arkansas has great depth. We beat a very good basketball team tonight," said Fanning. "We are pleased to have won this home stand, because that is the bottom line in this league, taking care of business at home."

It looked as if Fanning's squad would have an easy victory early on as they rattled off eleven unanswered points in the first five minutes to take a 13-2 lead. Seven of those early 13 came from Thomas as she helped State pull away. The Lady 'Backs were no where close to giving up though, they started chipping away at the MSU lead by taking control of the boards and eventually caught up to tie the score at 20. State eventually took control back from Arkansas and opened the lead back to six at the half (36-30).

The opening of the second period closely resembled the first as Mississippi State held Arkansas scoreless in the opening four minutes of the half and pulled away to a 44-30 lead. Behind three consecutive three-pointers by junior guard Wendy Willits, the Lady 'Backs closed MSU's lead to 60-51. Arkansas would continue to cut away at the lead and would get as close as 64-56 but the Mississippi State defense slammed the door and refused the Lady 'Backs anymore points.

Along with Willits, junior forward Lonniya Bragg and senior center Karyn Karlin tied for the Lady 'Backs lead in scoring with 12 each. Bragg also led all participants in rebounding with ten.

The Lady Bulldogs travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to take on the University of Alabama Sunday, before returning to Humphrey Coliseum to take on No. 10 Auburn on Thursday, Jan. 27.

Reprinted with permission from the MSU sports media relations department

01/20/00 - The MSU men's team defeated Jacksonville (AL) State 73 to 61.

01/19/00 - Don't forget, MSU men's basketball team plays at Jacksonville (AL) State tonight.

01/18/00 - Yesterday, I forgot to mention on my free site that Lanier High School's basketball team was at the MSU / Auburn basketball game Sunday. Yes, Darius Rice was there. It appears he is still injured since he had two of his fingers wrapped together on his right hand. By the way, Lanier High School plays a home game tonight if you would like to see Darius play.

01/18/00 - The MSU Lady Bulldogs defeated the South Carolina Lady Gamecocks 86 to 73 in a foul-prone game last night. MSU, before a crowd of 1,356, led at halftime 41-31 behind the play of freshman LaToya Thomas (17 pts, 5 rebs). LaToya, missing layup after layup in the second half, wound up with 23 points on a sub-par night for her. Other MSU players in double figures were Nitra Perry (10 pts), Jennifer Fambrough (14 pts), Angela Harris (12 pts) and Cynthia Hall (14 pts). MSU was outrebounded 43 to 34 but led in almost all other categories including FG% (48.3% to USC's 43.3%), 3-pt FG% (31.6% to USC's 8.3%), assists 18 to 10, steals 11 to 5.

01/17/00 - Click here to read the official MSU write-up of yesterday's MSU 51-45 loss to number four ranked Auburn.

01/17/00 - Sharon Fanning's No. 22 Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs will look to even their Southeastern Conference record when they entertain the South Carolina Lady Gamecocks (10-4, 0-1) Monday at 7 p.m. Fanning has never lost to South Carolina as a coach. Her 9-0 record against USC includes a 4-0 mark while at MSU.

State (12-2, 1-2) broke a two-game losing streak by beating arch-rival Mississippi 82-58 Thursday night. LaToya Thomas, who netted 31 points against the Lady Rebels, continues to lead MSU in the scoring department with a 21.4 average. The freshman from Greenville, Miss., also leads the team in rebounding, with 9.1 boards per game. Cynthia Hall (15.3 ppg), Jennifer Fambrough (15.1 ppg) and Nitra Perry (12.1 ppg) join Thomas in double-figures. Angela Harris leads the squad in assists, dishing out six per contest.

MSU is outscoring its opponents by an average of 26 points per game. The Lady Bulldogs are shooting 50 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point range. State is outrebounding its opponents by 4.4 boards per contest.

Susan Walvius' Lady Gamecocks finished the pre-conference season 10-3 before losing at Auburn 73-50 and to Tennessee 92-76 to open SEC play. Shaun Gortman leads South Carolina with 15.0 points per game. Jocelyn Penn (13.8 ppg) and Annie Lester (11.8 ppg) are also averaging double-figures for USC. Petra Ujhelyi is the leading rebounder averaging 7.6 board per outing.

USC is shooting 43 percent from the field and holding its opponents to 40-percent shooting. The Lady Gamecocks are allowing their opponents an average of 61.7 points per contest.

Mississippi State leads the series 7-3, including last year's 69-66 win in Columbia, S.C. The Lady Bulldogs own a four-game winning streak over the Lady Gamecocks and have never lost to South Carolina at Humphrey Coliseum (5-0).

MSU wraps-up the three-game homestand by hosting Arkansas on Jan. 20. State will meet Alabama in Tuscaloosa (Jan. 23) before returning home for two straight home games versus SEC foes No. 10 Auburn (Jan. 27) and No. 17 LSU (Jan. 30).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU sports media relations department

01/16/00 - Don't forget the men's basketball game today. Game time is set for 12:30. The team needs you and the football program needs you because of the outstanding recruits that will be attending the game. Be there.

01/14/00 - The Mississippi State women's basketball team defeated Ole Miss 82 to 58. Last night's attendance of 2,253 was a new school record. MSU was led by freshman sensation LaToya Thomas who had a double-double (31 pts, 15 rebs). MSU also had two other players in double figures. Sophomore Jennifer Fambrough had 16 pts and Angela Harris had 10 pts. MSU shot 41.5% from the field and 75.9% from the charity stripe. MSU stole the ball 16 times compared to 4 by the Rebels. State was credited with 19 assists. Ole Miss had 8 assists. Ole Miss shot 40.7% from the field and 43.8% from the free throw line. MSU was outrebounded 42 to 38. Ole Miss was playing without their starting point guard, Takela Corbitt who was injured in the Vanderbilt game. Forward Sinissia Wysinger played 21 minutes but was not full-speed due to a sprained ankle.

MSU, now 12-2 on the season, 1-2 in the SEC, continue SEC home action next Monday when they take on South Carolina at 7 p.m. This is a great women's team, so do your best to attend the game. These young ladies deserve your support.

01/13/00 (Premium site write-up by me. Thought I would give you a tidbit to think about.)

Clang, clang, clang.

Saturday night that was not sweet music to any Mississippi State basketball player, coach or fan. As most of you know, Mississippi State went into Tuscaloosa to play the Crimson Tide. State was coming off a fairly impressive victory over the Georgia Bulldogs, a winner in seven of its last nine games. For most of the night Mississippi State's basketball players shot free throws like there was a lid on the goal, hence the clang, clang, clang.

Ultimately, because of those missed free throws, State lost the game in overtime.

Fans were upset. They were saying things like the talent-level on this team is not that good or maybe it is over-rated. Some were even questioning the ability of our coaches. The players were scratching their heads wondering what went wrong. Even the coaches were wondering what else could they do.

The MSU team went home and worked hard in practice. They knew what lay ahead, an away game against their arch-rival, the Ole Miss Rebels.

Ole Miss had just played an excellent game at home against the Florida Gators, a top-10 team, but had lost by six points. They were hungry. They were badly in need of a victory after losing their first two SEC games of the season. They were ready for those hated Bulldogs.

The odds seemed stacked against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Then, to make matters worse, Bulldog basketball player Marckell Patterson had a sprained ankle and would not be able to play against the Rebels. MSU was now down to eight scholarship players, three of them being sophomores and two freshmen.

The situation looked dire but, nonetheless, a couple hundred MSU fans drove into Oxford to cheer the Bulldogs on. Some, like me, were a little nervous. Not only because of the tough situation the Bulldogs basketball team was in but also because the MSU/UM rivalry had really gotten mean over the past few years.

I drove into Oxford around 5:00 p.m. I was in my old black Buick Regal. No Bulldog flag hanging out the window this night. No maroon on except under my shirt. Hey, I might be nervous and a little afraid but I'm still a proud Bulldog fan.

I ate at Kalo's Tavern with a Bulldog friend of mine and a good friend of his who just happened to be a Rebel fan. I started feeling better. The fellowship was fun and the food was good.

But I knew the game was ahead and our Dogs had all of the cards stacked against them. After eating, I headed over to Tad Smith Coliseum. I walked to the side of the coliseum to media will-call to get my media credentials. I was going to be on press row and I didn't even have an umbrella for the ice throwing that I feared was coming. I picked up my credentials, then I was ready to go into enemy territory. I was a little nervous to say the least.

I walked into the coliseum. All you could see were red and blue seats and a few folks, mainly students, in the stands. They were ready. They were hungry.

The teams came out for pre-game practice. The Bulldogs received boos and a few choice words that your mother told you it's not polite to say. The Rebels received an ovation from the predominantly Rebel crowd. The fans continued to come in until you had a near sellout of 8,207 fans. The scene was set.

It was time for the tip-off. Mississippi State won it by default because the Ole Miss player had jumped too soon. The game was underway.

MSU made the first points of the game on a three-pointer by Michael Gholar, a backup who was called into duty to start due to the Patterson injury. Ole Miss then went down the court but Jason Flanigan turned the ball over. MSU came right back and returned the favor by turning it over. Ole Miss then scored their first basketball on a layup by Lataryl Williams. Lataryl would be a thorn in the side of the Bulldogs for the entire game.

But something strange happened. These Bulldogs, who looked to be in a tough situation due to the circumstances that I had previously mentioned, were playing very competitively against the home-standing Rebels. After ten minutes of play, the game was tied, 20 to 20. The Rebel fans were getting uneasy. The fan noise that you usually hear at the Tad Pad was nowhere to be heard.

Then the Rebels, after the tie, pulled ahead of the Bulldogs to lead 34 to 29 at the half. The Ole Miss Rebel fans started to make noise once again while the MSU fans started to wonder if their team had given its all and was just going to settle for a competitive game.

At the half, MSU was led in scoring by Antonio Jackson's nine points. Antonio scored all of his points on three-pointers. Second in scoring was Tang Hamilton with five points. MSU had out-rebounded the Rebels 18 to 17. Both teams had committed 11 fouls. From the field, MSU shot about 36% while Ole Miss shot 50%. The Rebels' Lataryl Williams, converting on all of his field goals, including three three-pointers, led all scorers with thirteen points. MSU couldn't seem to find a way to stop him.

Time for the second half. Ole Miss scored first on a layup by Rahim Lockhart. The Rebel crowd sensed that their team was about to pull away. However, the clanging of metal would soon stop that feeling.

But before the clanging the Rebel fans would learn to hate, MSU came back to put up a fight. Antonio Jackson, slightly injured earlier in the game and now much less quicker, made two free throws to make it 36 to 31. Then Robert Jackson made a layup to make it 36 to 33. MSU was on a small roll and had pulled to within three. The Rebel fans were concerned but still felt their team would put these wounded Bulldogs away. The Bulldogs had other ideas. T. J. Billups, playing the most minutes (34) that he had played in a long time, made a layup. It was now 36 to 35. The Rebel fans started squirming in their seats. What was going on? They never lose to the Bulldogs at the Tad Pad any longer. Plus these Bulldogs only had eight scholarship players who were available to play. Surely the Rebel team would come back and put these upstart Bulldogs away.

The Rebels, now feeling the heat, scored next on a massive dunk by Lataryl Williams, who was playing like an All-SEC player. The score was now 38 to 35. The Rebel crowd went bunkers. They knew it was about to happen. They knew that these Bullpups were now in for a rude awakening. Let's see them do the Dog Pound Rock now thought the Rebel fans.

But those Bulldogs didn't have any quit in them. They came right back and scored on a free throw by T. J. Billups to make it 38 to 36. Then the Rebels scored on a jumper by Rahim Lockhart. It was now 40 to 36. It looked liked the Rebels were now in a comfortable position. They had a four point lead, the game clock said 14:58. However the clanging that would drive every Rebel batty was about to begin. Rahim Lockhart attempted a free throw. Clang. He missed.

MSU's Tang Hamilton then was fouled on an attempted shot and made a free throw to make it 40 to 37. The Rebels' Rahim Lockhart came right back to make a layup to make it 42 to 37, Rebels. This would be the last time the Rebels would lead the Bulldogs by five points.

Tang Hamilton came down the court. Swish. He made a three-pointer. The score was now 42 to 40. The Bulldogs were showing some spunk. Bulldog freshman Derrick Zimmerman made a steal, but the Bulldogs couldn't do anything with it. The Rebels got the ball back, drove down the court to score on a jumper by Darrian Brown. It was now 44 to 40, the Rebels. Fans from both schools now knew we had a ball game that would go down to the wire. The Pad was popping.

MSU came right back and made two points on two free throws by Michael Gholar. The score was now 44 to 42, Rebels. From there the game see-sawed.

With the Rebels leading 54-52, Rahim Lockhart went to the free throw line. Clang! That's OK said the Rebel fans. Everybody misses a free throw now and then they said under their breath.

Then the Bulldogs make a layup by Michael Gholar. The score is tied 54 to 54. The clock said 4:03 left in the ballgame. Now the Rebel fans were beginning to get a little concerned. This was the Bulldogs, their most hated rival, that they were playing. Plus, these Bullpuppies only had eight scholarship players. How could we even dream of losing to them?

The Rebels drove down the court. Tang Hamilton steals the ball for the Bulldogs. Rahim Lockhart steals it right back. Michael Gholar fouls him.

Clang! Lockhart misses the front end of a one and one. This one hurts if you were a Rebel fan.

MSU throws the ball in. Robert Jackson makes a layup. The Bulldogs are up 56 to 54. The Rebels come right back to tie it up on a steal and layup by Jason Harrison who took advantage of a slightly injured Antonio Jackson.

Robert Jackson fouls Rahim Lockhart. Clang!

Tyrus Boswell fouls Rahim Lockhart. Clang, clang!

Tyrus Boswell comes right back and puts the Bulldogs on top with a two-point field goal. It is now 58-56, Bulldogs. The game clock shows 1:20 to go. Rebel fans are getting a little worried. Bulldogs fans have their fingers crossed and are wondering will this be the Alabama game again? Will their beloved Bulldogs lose it on another miracle three-pointer?

The Bulldogs freshman center, Lincoln Smith, who played excellent defense against the veteran Rebel, Rahim Lockhart, committed a foul on Lockhart. It was time for Lockhart to go to the foul line again. Clang. The Rebel fans were now praying for a miracle. They got it. Rahim made his next free throw. It was now 58-57 with 23 seconds to go.

The Bulldogs inbounded the ball. Marcus Hicks almost immediately fouls Tyrus Boswell. Tyrus, who was playing a very good game for the second game in a row, missed his first attempt but made his second. The Bulldogs were ahead 59 to 57. The game clock showed 21 seconds. The crowd was standing. Palms were sweating. Hands were shaking. The end was near. This one was coming down to the wire.

The Rebels' Darrian Brown commits a foul with 10 seconds to go after the Rebels could do nothing with the ball. Michael Gholar goes to the free throw line. Would he do the same as in the Alabama game and miss both of his free throws or would he be the hero? The fans were anxiously waiting. Michael looked at the goal. He shot. He missed. The Rebel fans went wild. The Bulldog fans thought, oh no, not again. Michael Gholar looked at the basket. He shot. The net went swish! The Bulldogs now led 60 to 57. Time was just about out and the Rebels were down three. The Rebels inbound the ball. Antonio fouls Jason Harrison before he can get a shot off. There would be no miracle three-pointer this night. The Rebels would have to make their two free throws, foul a Bulldog and hope that he misses. Their first wish came through when Jason made both free throws. The score was now 60-59, Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs inbounded the ball. Lataryl Williams fouls Antonio Jackson. He attempts two free throw shots. Clang! Swish! Antonio makes one of two to put the Dogs ahead 61-59. The Rebels inbound the ball. They run down the court and take a desperation shot. Clang! It misses its mark. Bulldogs win! Bulldogs win!

A couple of final thoughts. After attending the game, I realized that I had no reason to be afraid because no ice was thrown and no one confronted me or any other Bulldog fan that I know of. So I say to all of you Rebel fans, you behaved very, very well and handled yourselves very well in defeat. That's not always easy to do. I would also like to thank Lamar Chance, the University of Mississippi Associate Sports Information Director, for providing me with press credentials and making me, as well as all other media types, feel at home. You Rebel fans can be proud of Lamar. He represents your athletic department well.

Final stats for the game:

MSU shot 35.3% from the field and 63.3% from the free throw line. They outrebounded the Rebels 37 to 35. MSU had 17 turnovers while Ole Miss had 20. The Rebels shot 46% from the field and 33.3% from the free throw line.

The Bulldogs are next in action against the Auburn Tigers this coming Sunday at the Hump. Gametime is 12:30 p.m. MSU football will have their biggest recruiting weekend of the season so be there and be loud. You can make a difference to the basketball team and also the football team.

01/13/00 - Sharon Fanning's No. 22 Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs will look for their first Southeastern Conference victory of the season, hosting arch-rival Mississippi Thursday at Humphrey Coliseum. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. The Lady Bulldogs (11-2, 0-2) are hungry for a win after posting two-straight losses at Florida and LSU.

Freshman standout LaToya Thomas continues to lead Mississippi State in the scoring department, averaging 20.7 points per game. Thomas is also the team-leader in rebounding (8.7 rpg). Cynthia Hall (15.8 ppg), Jennifer Fambrough (15.0 ppg) and Nitra Perry (12.4 ppg) join Thomas in double-figures. Angela Harris leads the squad in assists, dishing out six a game.

Mississippi (10-3, 0-1) is coming off a 60-38 loss at home to Vanderbilt. The Lady Rebels' previous two losses came at the hands of Clemson (71-63) and Northern Arizona (78-65). UM is led by Frankie Boyd, the lone Lady Rebel averaging double-figures (14.2 ppg). Five others average more than five points a contest: Becky Myatt (9.2 ppg), Von-Gretchen Kirk (8.9 ppg), Stephanie Murphy (6.2 ppg) and Takela Corbitt (5.8 ppg).

Mississippi State's 86.9 scoring clip is ranked second in the SEC and fourth in the nation. MSU is also second in the conference in free-throw percentage (71.7 percent) and three-pointers made per game (6.85). The Lady Bulldogs are shooting 51 percent from the field and are holding their opponents to 39.5 percent.

Ron Aldy's Lady Rebels are averaging 70 points a contest, shooting 37.9 percent from the field. Mississippi has held its opponents to 37.8-percent shooting and have outrebounded its opponents by 8.4 boards a game.

Mississippi State will play five of the next six games at Humphrey Coliseum. Following the Ole Miss game, State hosts SEC foes South Carolina (Jan. 17) and Arkansas (Jan. 20) before visiting Alabama (Jan. 23). The Lady Bulldogs will then host back-to-back games versus Auburn (Jan. 27) and LSU (Jan. 30).

Reprinted with permission from the MSU sports media relations department.

01/12/00 - MSU and Ole Miss tangle tonight at Oxford. Gametime is 7 p.m. MSU will be without starters Todd Myles and Marckell Patterson and backup center Quentin Smith due to injuries. Hope to see you at the game.

01/12/00 - Mississippi State University will be host to the AAU Black History Basketball Classic on April 7, 8, and 9th, 2000. Some of the most talented 16 and 17 year old boy's basketball players will be represented at the tournament, including Mississippi players such as Anthony Johnson (6-2, 2G, Columbus HS), Marcus Verner (6-7, F/C, Columbus HS), Josea Butler (5-7, PG, Columbus HS), Byron Sanders (6-8, PF, Gulfport HS), Edrick Montgomery (6-6, F, Wingfield HS), Anthown Galloway (6-4, PF, JIm Hill HS), and Travis Outlaw (6-7, F/C, Starkville HS). All of these youngsters are sophomores except for Outlaw who is a freshman.

I will keep you updated as the tournament gets closer.

01/09/00 (9:00 p.m.) - Sharon Fanning's No. 18 Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs dropped their second- straight game after starting the season 11-0, losing to No. 16 LSU 61-54. MSU (11-2, 0-2), who has never won a game in Baton Rouge, completed a rigorous 12-day, four-game road swing, the longest of the season.

Cynthia Hall led Mississippi State with 18 points, connecting on five three-pointers (5-of-8) for the second time this season. A Mississippi State player had not connected on five three-point baskets in an SEC game in two years. Joining her in double-figures were freshman forward LaToya Thomas, who poured in 13 points on five-of-nine shooting, and Jennifer Fambrough, who netted 10 points and grabbed a team-best nine rebounds. Senior forward Nitra Perry contributed with nine points and eight boards.

DeTrina White led three Lady Tigers (11-3, 2-1) in double-figures with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Katrina Hibbert added 14 points and eight rebounds and April Brown scored 12 points on four-of-five shooting.

State had their poorest shooting night of the season, shooting 37.7 percent from the field. The Lady Bulldogs also suffered from the charity stripe, shooting a season-low 40 percent (6-of-15), but won the rebounding battle 37-34. LSU shot 50 percent from the field.

MSU led by as many as four in the early going before the Lady Tigers took control with a 14-3 run during which State went 7:35 without scoring. The Lady Bulldogs outscored LSU 9-4 to end the half to trail 26-24 at the break.

Mississippi State tied the score on a Hall three-pointer at the 17:53 mark but a Brown jumper 14 seconds later put LSU ahead to stay. State trailed by as many as twelve, with 3:47 left, before a 14-6 run got MSU to within four, 58-54, with 1:07 to play. That was as close the Lady Bulldogs would get.

Mississippi State will return to Humphrey Coliseum for five of the next six contests. MSU will host intra-state rival Mississippi Thursday at 7 p.m. before entertaining South Carolina (Jan. 17) and Arkansas (Jan. 20).

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU sports media relations department

01/09/00 - Click here to read a recap of last night's Alabama 77 to 74 victory over our Bulldogs.

Don't forget, the Lady Bulldogs play at LSU today. Gametime is 2 p.m.

01/07/00 - Sharon Fanning's Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs opened SEC play on a losing note, falling 85-72 to the University of Florida. State (11-1,0-1) saw their school-record 15-game regular-season winning streak come to an end.

Nitra Perry and Jennifer Fambrough both poured in 19 points to lead Mississippi State. Perry pulled down 11 boards to record her team-leading fourth double-double of the season. Freshman sensation LaToya Thomas was limited to 18 minutes of playing time due to foul trouble. The Greenville, Miss., native scored 12 points and pulled down four boards before fouling out with 8:38 remaining. Also scoring for MSU was Angela Harris with 11 points, Cynthia Hall with nine points and Meadow Overstreet, who tallied two points.

Florida placed all five starters in double-figures. Naomi Mobley (21 points, 14 rebounds) and Tonya Washington (16 points, 13 rebounds) led a strong Lady Gator effort. Florida out-rebounded State 56-32 and limited MSU to 41-percent shooting. Mississippi State uncharacteristically shot poor from behind the arc, connecting on 2-of-15 shots from 3-point range. State's defense held Florida to 41-percent shooting, but the Lady Gators took advantage of their rebounding edge, outscoring MSU 21-11 on second chance points.

Florida (10-2,1-0) erased an early 10-2 deficit with 16:12 remaining by outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 17-6 over the next seven minutes. The Lady Gators and MSU both had leads for the remainder of the first half before a Washington jumper put Florida ahead for good at 29-28 with 3:32 remaining. UF closed the half on a 10-2 run to take a 39-30 lead at the intermission. The closest MSU could get in the second half was five, with 16:49 left. Florida extended the lead to 21, at 70-49, with 5:13 remaining only to see Mississippi State close the gap to seven with less than a minute to play. UF connected on all six free-throws in the final minute to put State away.

"Unfortunately we kept making mistakes that put us in foul trouble early," Fanning said. "Our younger players will use this experience to prepare for the SEC season."

The SEC schedule will not get any easier for the Lady Bulldogs. MSU closes out a 12-day, four-game road swing Sunday at No.16 LSU. State returns to Humphrey Coliseum for a date with intra-state rival Mississippi January 13th.

Reprinted with permission of the MSU sports media relations department.

01/06/00 - Mississippi State defeated a tough Georgia team last night 71 to 59. MSU was led in scoring by Tang Hamilton who scored 22 points. (9 of 17 from the field and 1 of 3 from the free-throw line). Other double figure scorers were Marckell Patterson with 16 points and Robert Jackson with 11 points. Robert also pulled down 15 rebounds, a career high for him. Coach Stansbury also made note of the fact that Robert played 33 minutes without fouling out. T.J. Billups also contributed 26 valuable minutes of play to help overcome the loss of the injured Todd Myles, who is out from two to four weeks with with a broken bone in his shooting hand.

MSU, after a very sluggish first half, led 27 to 25 at halftime, but pulled away in the second half with the spark plug play of freshman Derrick Zimmerman who had three steals, two blocks and eight points in the second half.

After shooting 40% in the first half, MSU came back in the second half and shot 47% from the field. Their three-point shooting was a very poor 10% in the first half, but was a respectable 36.4% in the second half. MSU, after turning the ball over eight times in the first half, cut that down to five in the second half. Georgia, now 7-6 on the season, turned the ball over eight times in the first half but had eleven in the second half.

Attendance for the game was 4,271.

MSU, now 9-4 on the season, travels to Alabama Saturday night to play their first SEC road game.

01/05/00 (2:30 p.m.) - Mississippi State basketball fans will have their first opportunity to talk with MSU head basketball coach Rick Stansbury Thursday in the 1999-2000 season debut of "Dawgs Talk with Rick Stansbury."

The hour-long radio call-in show, featuring the Bulldogs' second-year head coach, will air each Thursday night at 7 p.m. CT on nearly 20 radio stations throughout Mississippi and into Memphis.

In-state listeners can participate in "Dawgs Talk with Rick Stansbury," hosted by MSU broadcasting legend Jack Cristil, by calling toll-free 1-888-808-8637. Listeners in Jackson may participate in the call-in show by calling (601) 952-0986, while cellular phone owners (BellSouth Mobility customers only) may access the show by calling *222.

1999-2000 Rick Stansbury call-in radio show affiliates
Biloxi... WVMI-AM... 570
Cleveland... WMJW-FM... 107.5
Columbus... WMBC-FM... 103.1
Greenville... WDMS-FM... 100.7
Hattiesburg... WKNZ-FM... 101.7
Houston... WCPC-AM... 940
Indianola... WTCD-FM... 96.9
Jackson... WSLI-AM... 930
McComb... WAPF-AM... 980
Memphis... WTCK-AM... 1030
Meridian... WMOX-AM... 1010
Philadelphia... WHOC-AM... 1490
Picayune... WRJW-AM... 1320
Tupelo... WNRX-AM... 1060
Vicksburg... WQBC-AM... 1420
West Point... WROB-AM... 1450
West Point... WKBB-FM... 100.9
Winona... WONA-FM... 95.1

Reprinted with permission from the MSU sports media relations department

01/05/00 - Don't forget that the men's team plays Georgia tonight at the Hump. Game time is 7 p.m. Please be there. They deserve your support. If you want a winner, you have to do your part.

01/05/00 - Did you know that our Lady Bulldogs are just one of four undefeated teams? The other three are UConn, North Carolina State and Tulane.

01/04/00 - The 20th ranked Lady Bulldogs defeated Pepperdine yesterday afternoon 90 to 80 to go 11-0 on the season. No Lady Bulldog team has ever won their first 11 games. The next game for the Lady Bulldogs is against Florida at Gainesville this Thursday night. The game will be televised by the Sunshine Network.

01/03/00 (11:45 a.m.) - The tip-off time for the upcoming Mississippi State men's basketball home game versus nationally ranked Auburn has been set for 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 16. The announcement was made Monday by Jefferson Pilot Sports, the network that will televise the Sunday afternoon contest live from MSU's Humphrey Coliseum.

Coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs, 8-4 on the season, begin Southeastern Conference play this Wednesday by playing host to the 7-5 Georgia Bulldogs in Starkville. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum.

Reprinted with permission of the MSU sports media relations department

01/03/00 - The 21st ranked Lady Bulldogs play Pepperdine this afternoon at 4 p.m. central time.

This document was created using FlexED