Antonio Jackson arched a shot over Richard Jefferson with 9.4 seconds left, and Mississippi State shocked No. 12 Arizona 75-74 Saturday night - the Wildcats' first loss in the 16-year history of the Bank One Fiesta Bowl Classic.
Seconds later, Mario Austin rebounded a miss by Jefferson, and the jubilant Bulldogs raced to the center of Lute Olson Court, where Arizona had won 191 of its last 202 games, to celebrate.
"I thought they would have (Gilbert) Arenas guarding me, but they switched to Jefferson," Jackson said. "I knew he was a high leaper, so I had to arch my shot a lot more. They tried to switch defenders on me a lot, but it really didn't keep me from doing what I'm able to do."
Jackson, who scored 28 points in a 90-80 win over Louisiana-Lafayette in the first round, finished with 22 this time on 9-of-17 shooting and was there whenever the Bulldogs (8-2) needed him down the stretch of their fifth consecutive victory.
"He had 28 the other day, and he was one of the guys that we focused on trying to stop," Arizona associate coach Jim Rosborough said. "He broke us down. He had some switches, he went over our people a couple of times and he hit the big shot at the end."
Arizona (7-4), the preseason No. 1, was trying to pull out a win for Olson, who announced before the game that he was taking a leave of absence from coaching to support his wife in her battle with cervical cancer.
But the Wildcat's spotty play continued, and the game turned out the same way as a Dec. 9 contest at Connecticut - a narrow loss - with Rosborough guiding the team in Olson's place.
Marckell Patterson had 15 points for the Bulldogs.
Loren Woods, the hero of a 72-60 win over Butler on Thursday, had 21 points and nearly earned the laurels again when he made a layup with 22.8 seconds to play. But Jackson came through, and Jefferson missed in the final seconds.
Jefferson had 20 points, and Arenas scored 14 for Arizona but couldn't keep the Wildcats' 31-0 record in their holiday tournament intact. It was Arizona's fourth loss in the last eight games - and its 17th in 27 games against the SEC.
"To have this talented of a team and be the first (Arizona) team to lose in this tournament is really embarrassing," Woods said. "But you have to give Mississippi State a lot of credit. They played hard, and they had the total package."
Jefferson shot Arizona to a 72-69 lead with a 3-pointer with 1:12 to play.
But Austin put back a blocked shot with 58 seconds to play, and Patterson made two free throws with 37 seconds to go, setting the stage for the matching scores by Woods and Jackson.
After six lead changes, Mississippi State led the last 8:27 of the first half and the first 7:01 of the second.
The game turned temporarily when Bulldogs coach Rick Stansbury was assessed a technical at the 6:53 mark of the second half. Woods made both free throws, shrinking the Bulldogs' lead to 45-43, and in the next 42 seconds Arenas made two 3-pointers, sending the Wildcats to a 49-45 lead with 12:25 left to play.
Jackson stayed hot, and the Bulldogs caught up at 52-51 on his two free throws with 10:03 to go.
"We weren't intimidated," Stansbury said. "We've faced hostile environments like this in the SEC, and it can actually help you emotionally. Off our scouting report, we believed we had a chance to come in here and win."
No more than three points separated the teams until the final 6:06 of the first half, when Robert Jackson gave the Bulldogs a 19-14 lead with a layup.
It was part of a 19-8 run in 6 1/2 minutes that carried Mississippi State to a 32-22 lead with 2:03 remaining.
Woods had two free throws and Luke Walton came off the bench to sink a 3-pointer as Arizona got within 32-27 by the break. But Mississippi State stayed unbeaten (8-0) when leading at halftime.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
12/30/00
Women's Basketball - Mississippi State women's basketball closed out its trip to New York with a 87-48 win over Marist. The No. 16 Lady Bulldogs improved to 9-2 on the season, while Marist fell to 2-9.
"Six people in double-figures; good scoring from the bench; a lot of people got good time," said head coach Sharon Fanning. "The end result was very positive relative to how we need to play as a team.
"The improvement from last game was a mental improvement. We started out this game similar to the last: tentative, questioning, making mistakes, but we gained focus and aggressiveness. We began to execute and played with more intensity."
State opened the second half with a 19-5 run moving the score to 59-26. Mississippi State outscored Marist 49-27 in the second half and finished the game shooting 53 percent from the field and 44 percent from long range.
Junior forward Jennifer Fambrough led the Lady Bulldogs with 18 points and upped her double-digit scoring streak to eight games while grabbing only three rebounds.
Sophomore player-of-the-year candidate LaToya Thomas scored 16 points and improved her double-digit scoring streak to 43 games as a Lady Bulldog. She led the team with nine rebounds.
In the 100th game of her career at MSU, Cynthia Hall made her way onto yet another career chart. She sits in 10th place on MSU's all-time steal list with 130. She led MSU with five assists and three steals.
Senior guard Meadow Overstreet, who finished the game with 13 points, has hit at least two three-pointers in six of the last seven games. Freshman forward Dana Benemon tallied 10 points, which breaks her previous career-high of eight.
State had six Lady Bulldogs in double-digits which is a first this season. Freshmen Seneca Anderson and Jessica Carter rounded out the top-six point-getters with 11 and 10, respectively.
Marist used a 9-2 run midway through the first half to cut MSU's 11-point lead (17-6) to four points, 21-17. The Lady Bulldogs used six free throws from Benemon, a three-pointer from Carter and back-to-back three-pointers from Overstreet to close out the first half 38-21.
The Red Foxes were led by Diesa Seidel with 14 points followed closely by Sabrina Vallery with 11 points and Marie Fusci with 10 points. Vallery and Seidel each had six rebounds.
"We have to get to a point of consistency where we play to our level of capability instead of the opponent," said Fanning. "We have got to come to play. The majority of this game we came to play and the end result is a reflection of that.
"I am pleased to finish this road trip with the level enthusiasm that we had. It takes this level of enthusiasm all the time to be successful."
MSU returns home to Starkville to begin the Southeastern Conference schedule hosting Florida on Thursday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m. and LSU on Sunday, Jan. 7, at 2 p.m. The Lady Bulldogs look forward to playing in front of their fans.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
12/29/00
Men's Basketball - Mississippi State's Tang Hamilton had six points during a second-half run that opened a 19-point lead, and the Bulldogs held on for a 90-80 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette on Thursday night.
The game was the first of the Bank One Fiesta Bowl Classic. Butler played No. 12 Arizona in the nightcap.
Hamilton, who also had nine rebounds, scored 19 of his 24 points in the second half, replacing the punch of leading scorer Robert Jackson, who fouled out without scoring in just nine minutes.
Antonio Jackson had 28 points - one short of his career high - and seven rebounds as the Bulldogs (7-2) won their fourth in a row and 10th in 13 games with the Cajuns.
Mississippi State is now 7-2 on the young season.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
12/28/00
Men's Basketball - Mary Ann and I went to Huntsville, Alabama yesterday to watch Gallatin HS basketball player and MSU commitment Wesley Morgan play. Here are a few observations. P.S. Remember, I have only seen Wesley play one game. Last night was one of his worst offensive games.
Wesley is exactly 7-2 in height and weighs about 200 pounds (needs to add about 40 pounds of muscle). He appears to have very good court awareness. Examples of this were the times he rebounded, then immediately turned and looked down the court to see if one of his teammates was running down the court. At least three times he successfully passed the ball to one of his teammates. Although they weren't all successful, he attempted to screen out on numerous occasions when his team was running their offense. On more times than I could count, he attempted to block shots. Even though he only blocked between 3 to 5 shots, his presence was definitely felt by the other team due to his block shot attempts (needs to work on his vertical leap). He always, after a score or a missed shot, hustled back to the defensive end of the court. He missed his first free throw attempt but was perfect on all of his other attempts. He showed good outside shooting touch in pregame but didn't get much of a chance to show it during the game, primarily due to limited touches. For some reason, his teammates did not throw the ball into him much during the game. This limited him to about 7 points for the night. He also runs well, at least most of the time, for such a tall youngster. When on the bench, he continuously cheered and clapped for his teammates whenever they did something positive. He truly appears to be a team player. Last, but not least, he is a extremely smart youngster who makes straight A's in school.
The above are a few observations from a person who does not claim to be anything more than a fan who has watched a lot of MSU basketball games but has played very little basketball and has never coached a single basketball game.
"The only thing positive out there tonight was the score," said Fanning. "I am concerned that we improve and become the best ball team we can be."
The first half was plagued by uncharacteristic poor shooting for Mississippi State with 31 percent while Albany shot 28 percent. Despite the poor shooting, MSU took a 27-23 lead into the locker room.
The Lady Bulldogs looked better in the second half shooting 52 percent as did the Lady Danes who shot 41 percent. State opened the second half with a 15-5 run taking a 14-point lead, 42-28, with 15:19 remaining.
Albany answered with an 11-2 run cutting the lead to three, 46-43, with 11:24 to play. MSU then went on an 8-0 run and went back up by 11, 54-43, with 8:35. The Lady Danes managed a 9-4 run to cut the lead to three, 60-57, with one minute remaining. State held on for a 62-57 final score.
"We had no backbone, no leadership, no chemistry, no character out there tonight," said Fanning. "We can't rest on our laurels on what the paper says we are. We still have to get out there and play hard everyday.
"Albany had confidence. Of course anyone can win any game, they played to win. We made mistakes and they took advantage."
LaToya Thomas was under her 25-point average, but still managed to lead MSU with 20 points after scoring only four in six minutes of action in the first half. Thomas extended her double-digit scoring streak to 42 games and now has a four-game double-digit scoring streak.
Thomas moved into 14th on MSU's all-time scoring list and now has 937 points. With two blocks against Albany, she moved up a notch on the all-time blocks list with her 43, tying her in seventh place.
Jennifer Fambrough managed the only double-double of the game with 14 points and 11 rebounds, her second consecutive double-double. Fambrough now has a seven-game double-digit scoring streak.
Joining Thomas and Fambrough in double-digits were senior guards Cynthia Hall and Meadow Overstreet, each with 11 points. Hall led the team with six assists and four steals. She now needs only two steals to place her on MSU's all-time list.
Albany was led by Jess McGinlay who had 23 points, 19 in the second half. McGinlay, who led the team in rebounding with seven, was four-of-four from three-point range in the second half. Liz Tucker added 12 points for the Lady Danes.
The Lady Bulldogs travel to Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on Friday, Dec. 29, to play the Red Foxes at 7 p.m. EST.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
12/27/00 Men's Basketball - The Mississippi State Bulldogs close out the first calendar year of the new millennium by participating in the 16th annual Bank One Fiesta Bowl Basketball Classic, Dec. 28 and 30, in Tucson, Ariz.
MSU, 6-2 on the year after posting a 78-58 win over Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 18 in Southaven, Miss., will meet the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns in first-round action of the University of Arizona-hosted tournament on Thursday, Dec. 28. Tip-off is set for 4:15 p.m. MT (5:15 p.m. CT) at Arizona's McKale Center.
Looking to claim their first in-season tournament team title since the school's 1995-96 Final Four campaign, coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs will then advance to take on either the host and nationally ranked Arizona Wildcats (6-3) or reigning NCAA Tournament participant Butler University (6-3) in the championship or consolation finals on Saturday, Dec. 30. Saturday game times are set for 3:15 p.m. MT (consolation) and 5:30 p.m. MT (championship). Both of Arizona's tournament games are slated to be televised by FOX Sports Net Arizona.
Continuing to lead the SEC as a team in rebounding (47.5 rpg), rebound margin (+14.9 rpg; third in the NCAA through games of Dec. 18) and three-point field goal percentage (39.7%), the Bulldogs bring a three-game winning streak into the Fiesta Bowl Classic with recent victories over Southeastern Louisiana, Montana State (81-63 on Dec. 9) and Louisiana Tech (68-63 on Dec. 5). Keyed by scoring balance and depth at all positions, Mississippi State features six different players averaging 8.3 points or better per outing for the season.
Individually for MSU, junior frontcourt standout Robert Jackson continues to pace the Bulldogs in scoring (15.2 ppg; 11th in the SEC), rebounding (10.6 rpg; 1st in SEC), and field-goal percentage (52.7%; 10th in SEC). The Milwaukee, Wis., native has registered six "double-doubles" in eight season outings, and enters the Fiesta Bowl Classic with a current string of four consecutive "double-double" efforts to his credit.
Senior forward Tang Hamilton, a three-year starter for State, stands as the club's second-leading scorer (11.3 ppg) and No. 2 rebounder (6.1 rpg) on the season, in addition to boasting impressive shooting percentages of 59 percent overall from the field, 45 percent from beyond the arc and 85 percent from the charity stripe. Having recently become only the 15th player in school history to total 1,000 career points and 500 caree r rebounds, Hamilton needs 22 points to move past Greg Lockhart (1,042 points; 1986-89) and into 22nd place on MSU's all-time scoring chart.
The defending regular-season and postseason tournament champions of the Sun Belt Conference, Louisiana-Lafayette brings a 4-3 record into the Fiesta Bowl Classic after posting a 67-55 road win at South Alabama in its league opener this past Saturday. Guided by fourth-year head coach Jessie Evans, the Ragin' Cajuns also feature a balanced scoring attack with four players averaging in double figures. Sophomore guard/forward Anthony Johnson leads the way at 17.8 points per game despite not having started a single game this season.
The host Arizona Wildcats, ranked eighth nationally in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches poll as of Dec. 17, are 6-3 on the year after rebounding from their first back-to-back non-conference losses (Illinois and Connecticut) since 1989-90 to claim an 88-75 home win over SEC member LSU on Dec. 20. Directed by coaching legend Lute Olson, the Wildcats have five different players averaging between 17.7 and 12.1 points per contest, led by junior forward Michael Wright. Arizona has dominated its own tournament through the years, having remained undefeated with 15 consecutive Fiesta Bowl Classic titles since the tournament's inception in 1985.
Guided by first-year head coach and 1990 Butler alumnus Thad Matta, the Butler University Bulldogs, who nearly upset eventual national finalist Florida in the first round of last year's NCAA Tournament, are likewise 6-3 this season after concluding a recent four-game homestand with an 86-73 victory over high-scoring TCU this past Saturday. By way of Indianapolis, Ind., and the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, Butler was tabbed by the league coaches and media as this year's preseason favorite to repeat as MCC champions. The Bulldogs also showcase five double-digit scorers on the year, paced by senior all-MCC performer LaVall Jordan (13.4 ppg).
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
Women's Basketball - The Lady Bulldogs left Tuesday for New York. Mississippi State, which moved to No. 18 in the latest Associated Press poll, will play the University of Albany on Wednesday, Dec. 27th, at 7 p.m. EST. MSU takes a 7-2 record on the road after defeating Southern Mississippi, 79-53, on Dec. 19th. Albany is 2-9 in its second season of division I play.
Mississippi State and Albany have met only once when the Great Danes traveled to Starkville last season. MSU defeated Albany 84-34 on Feb. 13 of this year.
Player of the Year Candidate LaToya Thomas led State scoring 27 points in 27 minutes. She managed seven rebounds and five steals in the effort. Junior forward Jennifer Fambrough tallied 17 points and six rebounds in the contest last February.
Thomas, who is averaging double digits in points and rebounds for the first time in her career, continues to lead the SEC with averaged of 25.4 points and 10.4 rebounds. She moved into 16th on MSU's all-time scoring chart after scoring 54 points in two games during the MSU Classic and then moved into 15th after her 30-point performance at Southern Miss. She now has 901 career points in 41 games and is only 16 points out of 14th and 39 points out of 13th.
Fambrough, who became the 12th member of the 1,000-point club during the MSU Classic, now has 1,030 career points in 69 games. Fambrough is averaging 13.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per outing.
Freshman Jessica Carter's 50-percent shooting from behind the arc has moved her into third on the team in scoring with an average of 8.2 points per contest. She is 18-of-36 from long range which is an average of 2.0 three-pointers per game.
Senior guards Cynthia Hall and Meadow Overstreet are fourth and fifth on the team in scoring, respectively. Hall, who is averaging 7.6 points per game, is dishing out a team-high 4.6 assists per outing. Overstreet is averaging 6.1 points and 3.1 assists per contest.
Albany is led by Liz Tucker in both points and rebounds. She has averages of 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per outing. She also leads the team in assists with 29. The Great Danes are shooting 36 percent from the field and 27 percent from long range.
The Lady Bulldogs play Marist College on Dec. 29th before returning to Mississippi on the 30th.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
12/25/00 - Read below about a Christmas gift from Gene's Page and Gene's Page readers to the youngsters in Mississippi who play high school baseball and basketball.
In the next week or two I am going to post lists of Mississippi high school baseball and basketball players, current freshmen to seniors, that are potential D-I players. If you know of a player that you feel deserves to be on one of these lists, please email their info to me. My email address is swindoll@genespage.com.
As a reference, I need the following info: player's name, classification, high school, height, weight, sport (baseball or basketball), playing position and anything else you know about a player right down to the smallest tidbit of info. These lists will be similar to the football lists that I already have online.
Like football, I want to use Gene's Page to help Mississippi kids who play baseball and basketball receive as much attention as possible. Who knows, your info may be that one bit of info that helps a youngster in your area receive the attention of a college coach who decides to offer that youngster a scholarship. Any help that you can give me will be very, very appreciated by me and by the youngster you write about.
12/24/00 - MSU signee Wesley Morgan's Gallatin, TN. team will be playing in the 18th Annual Huntsville (AL) Times Classic, which will be played in the Huntsville HS gyms on December 27th - 29th. Gallatin High School is seeded third in the tournament and will play their first game at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 27. Gates will open at 5:00 p.m. with the admission price of $4.00 for the night session. Gallatin will play at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 28, no matter if they win or lose.
Directions to Huntsville High School:
Travel from Decatur to Huntsville on I-565. Take the Memorial Parkway South Exit and exit on Governors Drive. Turn Left on Governors Drive until you reach Harvard Street (2nd or 3rd light). Turn Right on Harvard which will dead end at Huntsville High.
If you live in the area check Wesley out. Mary Ann and I plan on attending the Wednesday game. Hope to see other Bulldog fans there.
12/22/00
Men's Basketball - If you live in the Birmingham or Huntsville, Alabama areas, you will have a great chance to see MSU basketball signees Winsome Frazier and Wesley Morgan play ball.
Winsome Frazier's team will be playing in the Birmingham, Alabama Magic City Classic on December 26th, 27th and 28th while Wesley Morgan's Gallatin, TN. team will be playing in the 18th Annual Huntsville (AL) Times Classic, which will be played in the Huntsville HS gyms on December 27th - 29th. Gallatin High School is seeded third in the tournament and will play their first game at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 27. Gates will open at 5:00 p.m. with the admission price of $4.00 for the night session. Gallatin will play at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 28, no matter if they win or lose.
12/20/00
Men's Basketball - I believe you will enjoy reading an article about the pros and cons of being a high school basketball player over 7 feet tall. One of the players written about in the article is MSU signee Wesley Morgan, a 7-2 center from Gallatin, TN. Click here to go to the article.....
Women's Basketball - Sharon Fanning's Lady Bulldogs used a strong defensive first half, along with rebounding throughout the contest to defeat Southern Miss 68-53 Tuesday in Hattiesburg. The No. 18 Lady Bulldogs improved to 7-2 this season, while USM fell to 5-4.
Mississippi State overcame a season-high 25 turnovers and 3-of-13 shooting from three-point range as they outrebounded USM 53-28 to hold onto a 33-17 halftime advantage.
Sophomore forward LaToya Thomas continued her superb play this season, notching her fifth double-double pouring in 30 points and adding 17 rebounds to lead State. It was the second consecutive game in which Thomas scored 30 and grabbed more than 15 boards. Tuesday's performance comes on the heels of Thomas' 34-point, 19-rebound game on Sunday against Howard in the MSU Classic. Thomas has now scored a least twenty points in each of her last three games.
"Southern Miss does a good job of getting inside and making you beat them from the perimeter," Fanning said after the contest. "We didn't play at the level we need to in order to be competitive in our league. We've been playing at the level of our competition lately, and we need to try to be the best team that we can."
Jennifer Fambrough and Cynthia Hall each scored in double figures for the Lady Bulldogs. Fambrough recorded her first double-double of the season tallying 11 points and 11 rebounds. Hall added 10 points from her point guard position.
MSU extended its lead to as many as 19 points early in the second frame before Southern Miss put together solid second-half runs to close the gap to eight points with just over two minutes remaining.
With the lead at eight, Fambrough and Hall each hit clutch free throws to secure the victory for MSU.
Thomas attained her fifth double-double of the season in the first half and led MSU into the locker room with a 33-17 halftime lead. Thomas had 14 points and 10 rebounds at the intermission.
After Thomas hit two free throws in the first minute of the game, it took four minutes for the first field goal to be scored as Meadow Overstreet hit back-to-back three-pointers to put State up 8-0. MSU held the Lady Eagles scoreless until the 14-minute mark.
Overstreet got into foul trouble later in the opening period, and committed her fourth personal just 1:30 into the second half.
Southern Mississippi was led by Angela Johnson's 14 points and Jessica Woods' 10. Johnson scored 12 of her 14 in the second half, aided by six-of-six shooting from the free throw line. Woods scored eight of her 10 in the final stanza.
Mississippi State will take a few days off for Christmas before heading to New York. The Lady Bulldogs play Albany on Dec. 27 and Marist on Dec. 29. Neither of the games will be broadcast on radio. MSU gets ready for Southeastern Conference action in early January, hosting Florida on Jan. 4.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
12/19/00
Men's Basketball - The MSU men's basketball team, playing at the Desoto Civic Center in Southaven, Mississippi, defeated Southeastern Louisiana 78 to 58 behind the outstanding effort of junior big man Robert Jackson. Robert, in 21 minutes of play, scored 10 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Other Bulldogs in double figures included senior Tang Hamilton (10 points) and junior Marckell Patterson (10 points).
While these three were the only MSU players in double figures, a total of eleven MSU players scored during the game. Freshman Timmy Bowers, playing 14 minutes, was one of those eleven as he scored 8 points on a perfect night from the field (3-of-3) and the free throw line (2-of-2). Freshman Mario Austin scored 9 points on a 4-of-7 night from the field. He also pulled down 7 rebounds in his 18 minutes of play.
For the night MSU shot 50.8% from the field, 31.3% from the three-point line and 58.3% from the charity stripe. MSU outrebounded USL 37 to 28.
Eight-year old Ryan Minks, a student at SBEC, handed the official ball to one of the game's officials prior to the beginning of play.
Attendance for the game was 3,842.
12/18/00 - Sharon Fanning's Lady Bulldogs defeated Howard 80-64 on Sunday to win their third straight MSU Classic title and the fourth in the last five years. Mississippi State moved to 7-2 this season while Howard fell to 4-3.
"Howard is a very good team with good size," said Fanning. "They let it be known at the banquet before the tournament that they came to win. They are very balanced and athletic.
"We have to understand that everyone is after us. Everybody wants a piece of someone who is ranked or in a major conference. I think we loosened up tonight and lost our focus and that is a sign of an immature team. But we were able to pick it back up and win by a sizable margin."
LaToya Thomas led the Lady Bulldogs with 34 points and a career-high 19 rebounds for her fourth double-double this season. Thomas moved into 16th on MSU's all-time scoring list with 871 points in 40 games.
Freshman Jessica Carter was second on the team with a career-high 23 points, including a career-high five three-pointers. Junior Jennifer Fambrough, who became the 12th member of the 1,000-point club during the two-day tournament, had 15 points for MSU in the championship game. She now has 1,019 career points in 68 games.
Thomas and Fambrough, along with senior Cynthia Hall, who recorded a triple-double in the first game of the tournament, were named to the all-tournament team. Thomas was selected MVP, which marks her fourth such honor in as many tournaments. She was also named MVP for the 1999 MSU Classic, the 2000 Southeastern Conference Tournament and the 2000 Southwest Airlines Lobo Shootout.
"LaToya hit the boards and had 19 tonight with 34 points," said Fanning. "She definitely deserved to be MVP. She is proving all the time that she can play a well-balanced game."
After Howard took its first lead of the game, 52-50, with 11:47 remaining, Mississippi State freshman Jessica Carter came in and turned things around for MSU. She connected on two free throws and back-to-back three-pointers to give the Lady Bulldogs a six-point lead, 58-52, with 11:10 remaining. That was the beginning of a 15-3 run which sealed the victory for State.
The Lady Bulldogs outshot Howard 52-38 percent from the field and outrebounded the Lady Bison 46-32. MSU held Howard's Andrea Gardner, who leads the nation in rebounding, to just seven boards. Gardner was named to the all-tournament team.
"We looked at their stats, especially from yesterday's game, and our goal was to keep Gardner off the boards," said Fanning. "She is averaging 16 rebounds and had 17 on Saturday with 25 points. At halftime tonight, she had three rebounds with three fouls and she was on the bench. So that was an important stat for us."
The Lady Bison had four players score in double digits. Asia Petty scored 21 points and Chancell Washington tallied 19 points. Essence Coggins and Andrea Gardner had 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Lady Bulldogs travel to Hattiesburg, Miss., to face Southern Mississippi at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
In the consolation game, Louisiana-Lafayette came back from a 13-point deficit to beat Stony Brook 76-67. The Ragin' Cajuns were led by Charlotte Green with 19 points while the Seawolves were led by Sherry Jordan with 18 points. Green was the fifth member of the all-tournament team.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
12/16/00
Women's Basketball - Sharon Fanning's 19th-ranked Lady Bulldogs look to rebound from its second loss of the season by hosting the Mississippi State Classic Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 16-17, at Humphrey Coliseum. Howard (3-2), Louisiana-Lafayette (4-2) and Stony Brook (7-2) will join the Lady Bulldogs, who enter the tournament with a 4-2 record.
Howard will meet Stony Brook in the tournament's first game Saturday at 1 p.m. Mississippi State will face Louisiana-Lafayette in game two at 3 p.m.The consolation and championship games are slated for 1 and 3 p.m., respectively, on Sunday.
State hopes to bounce back following its 83-65 loss at No.12 Louisiana Tech on Dec. 7. The Lady Bulldogs had won four-straight before visiting Ruston. Mississippi State, which boasts one of the top players in the country in sophomore forward LaToya Thomas, is 2-0 at home this season with 31-point average margin of victory at the Hump.
Thomas, whose 24.2 points per game lead the conference, is shooting nearly 55 percent from the field while leading the team in rebounds, with 8.3 per game. She also leads the team in steals, with 2.3 per contest. Junior forward Jennifer Fambrough is second on the team in scoring and rebounding, pouring in 12.7 points and pulling down 5.5 boards per game. State as a team is shooting 45 percent from the floor while averaging 77.7 points per contest. The Lady Bulldogs are holding their opponents to 67.8 points per game.
ULL, which has already faced tournament-participant Stony Brook (losing 62-58), has three players in double-figures, led by Billie Popovaska with 12.7 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game. Howard brings a three-game winning streak to Starkville and is led by Andrea Gardner, who is pouring in 17.8 points per game and pulls down an astonishing 15.6 rebounds per contest. Sherry Jordan's 20.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per outing lead Stony Brook.
State has hosted the classic the last four seasons and has won three of the four. MSU heads into the weekend with a 20-game non-conference home winning streak. The last time the Lady Bulldogs lost to a non-SEC opponent at the Hump was in the championship game of the 1997 MSU Classic. Arkansas State defeated Mississippi State 76-68 to win the title.
Last year MSU blasted Texas-Pan America (104-48) and Mississippi Valley State (106-36) en route to the title.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
Tickets for Monday's MSU-SLU contest can be ordered by calling the DeSoto Civic Center Box Office (662-280-9120) or by contacting the Mississippi State Athletic Ticket Office (1-888-GO-DAWGS).
"We appreciate this opportunity to play in Southaven in front of some fans that may not normally have a chance to come see us play in Starkville," Stansbury noted. "It's exciting for us to have the honor of being the first basketball game played in this brand new arena, and we're looking forward to having a great turnout Monday night at the DeSoto Civic Center."
The 8,575-seat DeSoto Civic Center is currently the home of the Memphis RiverKings of the Central Hockey League and the Memphis Houn'Dawgs of the new ABA 2000 professional basketball league. Guided by former Mississippi State head coach Richard Williams - the winningest basketball coach (191-163) in school history - the Houn'Dawgs presently feature four former Bulldog standouts, including Darryl Wilson and Dontae' Jones from State's 1995-96 Final Four team, and Horatio Webster and Detrick White, who reunite as teammates again after previously starring together at Durant (Miss.) High School, Connors State (Okla.) College and Mississippi State University.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs are no strangers to neutral-site basketball competition within the Magnolia State in recent years. During his initial season at the MSU hoops helm, Stansbury's first Bulldog contingent opened the 1998-99 campaign with wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (105-53) and Northwestern State (75-46) in Jackson and Tupelo, respectively, while MSU's Humphrey Coliseum was undergoing renovations. State also defeated Tennessee-Martin, 80-60, in Tupelo during the 1997-98 season in Williams' final year as the Bulldogs' head basketball coach.
Returning 10 letterwinners from last year's club, the Bulldogs will enter Monday's Southaven contest with a 5-2 record after completing a successful 5-1 homestand with an 81-63 victory over Montana State last Saturday in Starkville. After dropping a season-opening 83-76 overtime decision at California in the first round of the TiVo Preseason NIT, MSU rebounded with consecutive homecourt triumphs over McNeese State (83-74), Mississippi Valley State (93-58) and Alabama A&M (102-60). Upon having their 23-game home winning streak against non-SEC opposition snapped with an 83-72 setback to Richmond on Dec. 2, the Bulldogs have since rebounded with successive home victories over Louisiana Tech (68-63) and Montana State.
Individually, MSU continues to be paced by reigning all-SEC center Robert Jackson, who leads the Bulldogs and ranks among the SEC's top 10 statistical leaders in scoring (16.0 ppg), rebounding (10.4 rpg) and field-goal percentage (54.3%). The junior from Milwaukee, Wis., has already recorded five double-double performances in seven outings this season, including a 14-point, 11-rebound effort in last Saturday's 18-point triumph over Montana State. Senior forward Tang Hamilton , a three-year State starter, is the team's second-leading scorer (11.4 ppg) and No. 2 rebounder (6.6 rpg) on the year. Set to play in his 100th career game Monday in Southaven, the Jackson native recently became only the 15th player in school history to total 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds, along with becoming the 23rd member of MSU's elite 1,000-point club.
As a team, the Bulldogs enter the weekend leading the Southeastern Conference in rebounding (49.0 rpg), rebounding margin (+15.7 rpg) and three-point field goal percentage (40.9%). Depth at all positions and scoring balance continue to be key strengths of this year's State squad, with 11 players averaging double-digit minutes and six different players averaging between 16.0 and 8.6 points per contest.
By way of Hammond, La., and the Southland Conference, the Lions of Southeastern Louisiana University enter Saturday's home contest against league foe Louisiana-Monroe with a 2-4 record after dropping a 58-46 decision at Mississippi this past Wednesday. Guided by second-year head coach and 1986 SLU alumnus Billy Kennedy, the injury-plagued Lions have been led by senior guard Jaron Singletary (12.5 ppg) with fellow senior guard Marcus Kemp currently sidelined with a broken right (shooting) hand. As a team, Southeastern is holding the opposition to just 59.0 points an outing on the season.
The Bulldogs have dominated the all-time basketball series against Southeastern Louisiana with victories in all 14 previous meetings with the Lions. Having defeated SLU by an average margin of 26.6 points per game since the series began in 1957-58, MSU most recently claimed a 70-56 home win over the Lions last season (Dec. 1, 1999) in Starkville. Robert Jackson led the Bulldogs with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting off the bench a year ago, while Southeastern received a game-high 22 points from Kemp on 6-of-9 three-pointers.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
12/14/00 - Men's Basketball News:
Wesley Morgan's Gallatin, TN. team will be playing in the he 18th Annual Huntsville (AL) Times Classic, which will be played in the Huntsville HS gyms on December 27th - 29th. Gallatin High School is seeded third in the tournament and will play their first game at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 27. Gates will open at 5:00 p.m. with the admission price of $4.00 for the night session. Gallatin will play at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 28, no matter if they win or lose.
12/13/00 - MSU's men's basketball team will play Southeastern Louisiana next Monday night (12/18/00) in the DeSoto Civic Center at Southaven, Mississippi. Here are comments from this past Monday's Southaven press conference with Coach Rick Stansbury:
Pat Nelson, President of the DeSoto Chapter of the Alumni Association:
"I called Larry Templeton (MSU Athletic Director) about a year ago when there was not a roof on this building and asked him about bringing a basketball game to the DeSoto Civic Center in the winter of 2000/2001. I told him that it's a year off so that gives you plenty of time. We got it confirmed this summer. I want to thank Larry Templeton and Coach Rick Stansbury for bringing this game here. We have a beautiful arena. This will be the first basketball game, college or otherwise, to be played here. We are very excited about (the game) and are selling tickets. The ticket office is open from 9 a.m to 6 p.m. everyday. We want this place filled up next Monday night." (You can purchase tickets by going by the Civic Center or calling them at 662-280-9120 or calling the MSU ticket office at 1-888-463-2947.)
Clay Collins, President-Elect of the DeSoto Chapter of the Alumni Association:
"Like Pat said, this has been months in the making. When we first started on it, we didn't think that we would ever get the team up to this part of the state. But things have worked out great. It looks like we are going to have a good turnout."
MSU Head Basketball Coach Rick Stansbury comments:
"You have thanked a lot of people and we want to thank you also. We appreciate the opportunity to come up here and play in a different part of the state where we have fans who don't always have the chance to come to Starkville and watch us play. Like Pat said, he talked to Larry and Larry brought it to me. We talked it over and thought it would be a good idea. We are excited about the opportunity to come up here and play. We are looking forward to a great turnout. We think that this is something that we can continue to look at in the future. We like the opportunity to play in different parts of the state."
About his team: "We aren't playing as well as I would like for us to be playing. We are struggling a little trying to find the right team to put on the floor. The positive thing about that is we have the pieces to work with. Once we get all those pieces together, playing the right people, I believe our team is going to be a very, very good team. I think during the last game that we played, we made strides in that direction. I think that our kids came out in the last game and played with a lot of energy."
When his team will come to Southaven: "We are coming up Sunday and practice Sunday night (practice is closed to media and the public). We will practice again on Monday. The game is at 7 p.m. Monday night."
Comments about Southeastern Louisiana: "We are playing Southeastern Louisiana. I think they are 2 and 3. They are going to be a small, quick team that can score some points. Last year we played them at our place and beat them by about 12 to 14 points."
Q&A with Coach Stansbury:
How does playing a game in Southaven, Mississippi help your program?
Coach Stansbury: This is the first time I have come to Southaven in awhile. I didn't know that Southaven has grown so much. Number one: anytime you are able to get your university's name out it is an opportunity to reach a lot of (potential) students. At the same time, you have the opportunity to reach the always fertile recruiting ground of Memphis, which is right around the corner. Maybe there will be a young player that will hear about Mississippi State because we played a game up here.
What is the biggest thing that you think your team needs to do to become successful?
Coach Stansbury: The biggest thing is finding that right chemistry. We started off this year playing big. We had moved Tony Jackson from the two to the point. We moved Tang Hamilton from the four to the three. Then we were trying to play Mario Austin and Robert Jackson together. Mario has always played the post. But now he may be guarding the four guy who may go out and shoot the three. That has been a big adjustment for him. Mario has a great attitude and is working hard. Before long he is going to hit his stride. Playing those players together we just weren't that quick. We have made adjustments.
Do you know when Michael Gholar might be back playing?
Coach Stansbury: Last year, Michael, down the stretch, averaged about 12 points per game and 7 rebounds per game. He gives you great toughness, a guy who can defend and can make baskets. He hurt his ligament in his finger the second week of practice. Then he got a foot infection that caused him to sit out a week. We got him back then he hurt his back. We worked him out (Sunday) for the first time. Hopefully, with a good week of practice, we can get him ready to go this week.
How has Robert Jackson improved this year?
Coach Stansbury: He is playing with more effort. That is probably because he has more time to rest. Last year we had to play him thirty-five minutes a game. Ten minutes of that he was just trying to survive. Now, we are able to sub him and give him some rest. He is playing twenty-five minutes but they are a productive twenty-five minutes.
Talk a little more about Mario Austin's play this year?
Coach Stansbury: It has been an adjustment for him. In high school all he had to do was guard a center while staying in the middle of a two-three zone. Now, we are asking him to have to go out and guard a guy who may go out and shoot a three. At the same time that guy may be shooting a three coming off a double screen. Mario may have never seen a double screen in his life. To his credit, he is working hard and learning a lot. We have to help him make those adjustments. That is why we have to play him at the five position while he is learning. In time, Mario is going to be a terrific player. Sometime it seems like Mario is trying to lead our team in assists. He sometimes tries to pass too much. We want Mario to catch it and go score. That has been an adjustment for him.
Question was asked about the teams in the Western Division of the SEC?
Coach Stansbury: There is no one team that stands out. I think that our team can stack up with any of the teams in the West. Alabama is probably the most talented team; they have a lot of talent on the perimeter. Arkansas has the same team that they had last year. I like our team once we come together. We have a lot of depth and have the guys who can do the things that we need to get things done.
People up here may not have heard much about the three players that you signed during the early signing period. How about talking a little about them?
Coach Stansbury: We signed Marcus Campbell, a 7-0, 7-1, 260, young man out of Albany, Georgia that has the chance to be as good of a big man as we have ever signed. Erick Dampier was one of my favorites but he does something better than Erick and that is score. He can really score; shoots and scores. He has aways to go to be an Erick Dampier in the post. He is a guy who can be that type player in the post because he has that kind of body.
We signed a 7-2 young man out of Gallatin, Tennessee who I think is the biggest sleeper of all of them. A lot of people haven't heard much about Wesley Morgan because I think we were the only camp that he went to. The guy who is his coach used to be at Austin Peay and that was the way that I found out about him. He called me in February and told me that I may need to come up and look at him. I went up and looked at him. It didn't take me long to look at him and know that he had potential. He is 7-2 and can really run the floor. He is no stiff; he can really, really run. He has great hands and he can score. He can step out and shoot from 18 to 20 feet. He has great moves in the post. The thing that he does not have right now is strength. When I first saw him, he weighed 210 pounds. Right now, he is at 230. His first game this year he had 16 points, 13 rebounds and 10 block shots.
We signed another young man who is from Miami, Florida. Winsome Frazier is one of the top thirty players in the country. He is a two-three player who can really get out and run and really shoot the basketball. He played in Louisiana last week in a tournament and was all-tournament. He averaged something like 32 points during the tournament.
We are still looking to sign one or two more players. We would like to sign a four guy and maybe a point guard.
12/10/00 - Mississippi State defeated Montana State 81 to 63 last night in front of 2,038 fans at Humphrey Coliseum. The Bobcats scored a three-pointer to take an early 3-0 lead but MSU twelve unanswered points to take a 12-3 lead and never looked back.
MSU's Marckell Patterson led all scorers with 20 points (4-of-5 from 2-pt range and 4-of-4 from 3-pt range). MSU's Robert Jackson was high man in rebounds with 11, 8 offensive. MSU outrebounded the Montana State Bobcats 45 to 26.
Post-game press conference:
MSU Coach Rick Stansbury:
"I'm much more pleased with this win than Tuesday night's win not because of the outcome but because of our effort. I think for the first time defensively we came out and took some of the other team's leading scorers out of the game. I think that was the difference in the outcome of the game. Marckell Patterson loosen up and just played. And that is what we need out of his spot. I also thought that Robert Jackson, in the second half, came out and really went to war. He was getting his offensive rebounds off of our free throw misses. We had some guys come off the bench and give us good effort. Derrick Zimmerman came in at the point and did some things differently than I have seen him do this year.
"I haven't been very pleased with the last four or five games. But the positive thing is this: We have some pieces and parts. Last year when we weren't playing well, we had to go back and play with what we had. Now, we have more pieces and parts. And that is a positive. Eventually, we are going to find out what are the strengths and weaknesses and which parts fits best with other parts. When we do that, I think that you will see this team do more of what they did tonight. The more Mario (Austin) plays, the better he will get. The more guys play positions that they aren't used to, the better this team will get. I like what this team can eventually be and that is my responsibility to do.
"Montana State, in their league, will be very good. It was a team coming in here that was shooting 46% from the three-point line. I thought that we did a great job contesting their three-point shots. Mick Durham has a good team."
What has been the difference in Marckell Patterson's play the last few games?
Coach Stansbury: There are a lot of pieces that are not right yet. As you move those pieces around, sometimes a piece doesn't have a chance to get really comfortable doing some things until he sees where he is in the pecking order. I think that Marckell is relaxing. He knows that this team needs his offense.
Did you like this starting lineup?
Coach Stansbury: I'm not totally pleased with it but I was very pleased with the effort. We still have to get those right pieces in place, then settle in on it and get better. I thought that we made a step toward that tonight. We settled in a little bit at a couple of spots. We played a little more relaxed. And that is what we have to continue to do.
Timmy Bowers played well tonight.
Coach Stansbury: The only thing that keeps Timmy Bowers from really being a basketball player is playing time. He is a basketball player. When I say that, I mean that he is a guy that can shoot it, pass it, dribble it. He understands the game of basketball. When he drove it baseline and made that layup, that was a basketball play. He read the post, saw that Mario Austin was being fronted and made that pass over the guy's head. Again, that was a basketball play. Timmy has a very good basketball sense.
Is he ahead of his game as a freshman?
Coach Stansbury: He is ahead of his game in his understanding of the game. Strength-wise is his biggest adjustment, his biggest problem. He is not very strong but that is something that you can take care of in time. His basketball ability and sense is something that is very difficult to teach. He is way ahead of a lot of freshman in that standpoint of the game.
A question was asked about why MSU shot so much better.
Coach Stansbury: It was probably due to us getting up and down the court better because we (played with a) smaller (lineup). When you are a little smaller, you have better opportunities to shoot the basketball. When you are smaller and are moving the ball around a lot, you are able to get better looks.
You now take it on the road to play Southeastern Louisiana in Southaven, Mississippi.
Coach Stansbury: It is my understanding that we will be the first team to play in the Desoto Civic Center at Southaven. I understand that it is a very nice facility. We play next Monday night (December 18) against Southeastern Louisiana. We don't know a lot about them because we haven't watched much film of them. It is a great opportunity for people in that area to come out and watch us play.
MSU Point Guard Guy Gardner:
You guys came out with a lot of intensity on the defensive end. Was that just a commitment on your part because it hadn't been there the last couple of games?
Guy Gardner: Yes, the last two days in practice Coach has really stressed defense. Richmond shot us out of the gym and we haven't been defending shooters very well. We knew that Montana State was leading the nation in three-point percentage. We had to get into them and make them put it on the floor and create problems for them.
Do you feel that the players are finally getting used to each other?
Guy Gardner: Yes, we are beginning to gel, I believe. It takes time.
Marckell Patterson led a pair of Bulldogs in double-figures, going 8-9 from the field and 4-4 from beyond the arch to finish with 20 points. Robert Jackson scored his fifth double-double of the season, grabbing 11 rebounds and scoring 14 points.
Kyle Stirmlinger paced the Bobcats with 12 points. Montana State's top two scorers -- Justin Brown and John Lazosky -- were limited to a combined 12 points on just 3-of-13 shooting from the field.
"I am much more pleased with the game today," said Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury. "We won the game last Tuesday night, but I wasn't as pleased with the effort and the way we played (Louisiana Tech). Today we played well defensively. We held their two best players in check and had a great energy level. Montana State came into the game shooting near 48 percent from three-point range and I think we did a superb job in defending their long-range shots."
Entering the weekend leading the SEC in rebounding and rebounding margin, the Bulldogs used a commanding 45-26 advantage on the boards in the 18-point non-conference win.
Clutching onto a six-point lead after the break, Mississippi State opened the second stanza with a 10-2 run that gave the hosts a 14-point lead just three minutes in. Tyrus Boswell's jumper at the 10:37 mark opened up a 9-0 run that pushed State's lead to 20 with just less than seven minutes to play before Mario Austin's layup with 3:58 left to play gave Mississippi State its largest lead of the game, 69-46.
Mississippi State stormed out of the gates, using a dunk by Patterson to take a nine-point lead at the 12:52 mark. After Montana State widdled its deficit to two just less than two minutes later, Patterson, who scored 15 of State's first 17 points of the game, led a charge by Mississippi State that helped push the host lead to 10 with 1:33 left to play in the opening half. The visiting Bobcats used a scoring spurt in the waning moments to go into halftime with just a six-point disadvantage.
Mississippi State will now get a nine-day break for final exams before returning to action on Monday, Dec. 18, when the Bulldogs host Southeastern Louisiana in Southaven's brand new DeSoto Civic Center. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. Tickets for the game can be ordered by calling the DeSoto Civic Center Box Office at (662) 280-9120 or by contacting the Mississippi State Athletic Ticket Office at 1-888-GO-DAWGS.
MONTANA STATE (63)
Rich 3-6 0-0 7, Stirmlinger 4-9 4-4 12, Lazosky 2-7 3-4 7, Brown 1-6 2-2 5, Clark 3-9 2-2 9, Little 3-4 0-0 7, Erickson 2-6 0-0 5, Conway 0-1 3-4 3, Plummer 1-1 0-2 2, Faaborg 2-4 0-0 6. Totals 21-53 14-18 63.
MISSISSIPPI STATE (81)
Billups 0-1 0-0 0, Hamilton 4-8 0-0 9, R. Jackson 6-12 2-5 14, A. Jackson 2-6 1-4 6, Patterson 8-9 0-0 20, Griffith 0-0 0-0 0, Gardner 1-2 0-0 3, Bowers 3-4 0-1 6, Zimmerman 1-3 2-4 4, Stidham 0-0 0-0 0, Boswell 3-6 1-2 7, Harper 2-2 0-0 4, Carr 0-0 0-0 0, Q. Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Austin 4-11 0-0 8. Totals 34-65 6-16 81.
Halftime - Mississippi State 31, Montana State 25. Fouled Out - Rich. Technical Fouls - Austin. Rebounds - Mississippi State 45 (R. Jackson 11), Montana State 26 (Rich 4). Assists - Mississippi State 16 (A. Jackson 5), Montana State 13 (Clark 5). Total Fouls - Mississippi State 18, Montana State 17. A - 2,038.
12/09/00
Men's Basketball - Coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs conclude their current six-game homestand Saturday afternoon by playing host to Montana State on the Mississippi State campus. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum.
Thus far during their homestand, the 4-2 Bulldogs have knocked off McNeese State (83-74), Mississippi Valley State (93-58) and Alabama A&M (102-60), and, most recently, bounced back from an 83-72 setback to Richmond with a 68-63 victory over Louisiana Tech this past Tuesday. Saturday's contest against Montana State will mark the Bulldogs' fourth game in a busy 10-day stretch.
Individually, the Bulldogs continue to be led by junior center Robert Jackson, who tops the team in scoring (16.3 ppg; 10th in the SEC) and rebounding (10.3 rpg; 3rd in SEC) after recording his fourth "double-double" of the season and 10th of his career with 18 points and 10 rebounds earlier in the week versus Louisiana Tech. Averaging 11.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per contest on the year, senior forward Tang Hamilton joined some elite MSU company against Louisiana Tech by becoming only the 15th player in school history to amass 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds. Now with 1,002 career points and 503 career rebounds, the three-year State starter also became the 23rd member of the school's 1,000-point club earlier this week.
As a team, Mississippi State enters the weekend leading the SEC in rebounding (49.7 rpg), rebounding margin (+15.2 rpg) and three-point field goal percentage (39.2%), while also ranking second among the league's team leaders in field-goal percentage defense (37.7%).
Hailing from Bozeman, Mont., and the Big Sky Conference, the Bobcats of Montana State University own a 4-3 mark after claiming a 79-62 road win over Western Illinois this past Wednesday. In this week's 17-point win over WIU, the Bobcats tied a single-game school mark with 14 made three-pointers in 21 attempts. Guided by 11th-year head coach Mick Durham, Montana State is led by the veteran duo of junior guard Justin Brown and senior forward John Lazosky, who are averaging 14.1 and 12.0 points per game, along with shooting 53 and 58 percent from beyond the three-point arc, respectively. As a team, the Bobcats are connecting on 47 percent of their three-pointers for the season.
In the team's final pre-Christmas action, Mississippi State will next stay in-state to meet the Lions of Southeastern Louisiana University in Southaven, Miss., on Monday, Dec. 18. With a set 7 p.m. tip-off at the DeSoto Civic Center, tickets for the upcoming MSU-SLU contest can be ordered by calling the DeSoto Civic Center Box Office (662-280-9120) or by contacting the Mississippi State Athletic Ticket Office (1-888-GO-DAWGS).
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
12/08/00
Men's Basketball - According to the MSU folks in charge of the event, MSU Head Basketball Coach Rick Stansbury will be appearing at the Desoto Civic Center (in Southaven, MS.), Mon., Dec. 11th at 11 a.m. for a press conference to promote the Dec. 18th game vs. SE Louisiana at the Desoto Civic Center. All Bulldog fans are invited to attend.
Junior forward Jennifer Fambrough led the Lady Bulldogs with 21 points giving her a three-game, double-digit scoring streak. Senior guard Meadow Overstreet tallied a season-high 19 points, grabbing double-digits for the second-straight game. Thomas had 14 points to keep her 38-game double-digit scoring streak alive.
Louisiana Tech held Mississippi State scoreless until Thomas hit two from the line at 17:58, but the first Lady Bulldog field goal didn't come until Fambrough hit at 16:53. Working together, Thomas and Fambrough combined for MSU's first 15 points.
The Lady Techsters took a 41-32 lead into the locker room at halftime. Both teams were shooting at 44 percent after the first half, but Tech outrebounded MSU 22-14 in the first 20 minutes. Louisiana Tech shot 60 percent from behind the arc in the first half while State shot just 38 percent from long range.
MSU opened the second half with a 10-4 run cutting Tech's lead to three points, 45-42. The Lady Bulldogs cut the lead to two, 53-51, when Overstreet hit a three-pointer at 12:53.
Then, Thomas came up with her fourth foul at the 10::53 mark and Tech went on a run to go up by eight. Thomas picked up her fifth foul at 5:35, just one minute after freshman Dana Benemon fouled out. Fambrough got her fourth foul, an offensive one, at 5:18.
"We were in the ball game until Toya picked up her fourth foul.," head coach Sharon Fanning said. "She was taken out of the game in terms mentally, and she lost her fundamentals. Louisiana Tech has as physical a basket team as we've seen in a while."
With both Fambrough and Thomas out of the game, Tech went on a 9-0 run at the three-minute mark to take an insurmountable 15-point lead, 76-61.
"I though Jennifer played as well as she could, but without the 1-2 punch that Toya provides, it was very hard for us to play with this team," Fanning said.
Overstreet, who hit four three-pointers in the second half, kept MSU in the game in the second half. She scored 11 of State's 17 points during the middle of the second half.
The Lady Bulldogs return home to host the Mississippi State Classic on Dec. 16th and 17th. The tournament begins with Howard and Stony-Brook tipping-off at 1 p.m. on Saturday. MSU and Louisiana-Lafayette follow at 3 p.m. The consolation and championship games will be played at 1 and 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
12/07/00
Women's Basketball - The No. 14 Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs (4-1) travel to Ruston, La., to take on No. 12 Louisiana Tech (6-2) on Thursday, December 7, at 7 p.m. at the Thomas Assembly Center.
"We expect Louisiana Tech to be a very focused and hard-working basketball team," said head coach Sharon Fanning. "They have good depth, size, balance in scoring and experience."
Last season, the Lady Techsters traveled to Starkville with a No. 2 national ranking after defeating then No. 1 Tennessee to begin their season. MSU defeated Tech 74-72 shooting 50 percent in the second half to come back from a three-point deficit at halftime.
State is led by sophomore standout LaToya Thomas with 26.2 points and 9.4 boards a game. Junior Jennifer Fambrough is the only other Lady Bulldog averaging double digits with 11.0 points per contest.
In their last outing, the Lady Bulldogs defeated Georgia Tech 88-68 to extend MSUšs non-conference home winning streak to 20. Thomas recorded her third double-double of the season with 19 points and 15 rebounds in the game. Three other Lady Bulldogs ended the game in double figures. Fambrough had a season-high 21 points. Meadow Overstreet finished the game with 17 points and a team-high six assists while Keisha Stringfellow totaled 10 points for MSU.
Louisiana Tech is led by Ayana Walker who is currently averaging a double-double (16.9ppg, 10.0 rpg) and Takeisha Lewis who is shooting 55 percent from the field averaging 9.3 points per game. Collectively, the Techsters are shooting 42 percent from the field, 27 percent from long range and 64 percent from the charity stripe.
"La Tech is a great atmosphere for women's basketball and we expect the crowd to have a lot of enthusiasm," said Fanning. "As in any game, we must play good team defense, rebound the ball and take good shots. In order to be successful, we must continue to improve."
The Lady Bulldogs can be heard on WFCA 107.9 FM Thursday with Jim Ellis calling the action.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
12/06/00
Men's Basketball - MSU (4-2) defeated Louisiana Tech (4-3) 68 to 63 last night at Humphrey Coliseum.
Post-game press conference:
MSU Coach Rick Stansbury:
"The only positive thing you can say about this game is you can look back in a couple of months and say that this game was a win. Beside that there are not a lot of positive things that we can take from it. I wasn't very happy with the way we played. For the first time I don't think we played with effort or energy. There is one stat that will back that up. For the first time this year we got outrebounded. That is nothing but effort. Our team has been outrebounding teams by eighteen rebounds. Give Louisiana Tech a lot of credit. I thought that they hung in there. They gave themselves a chance to win the basketball game. Henderson and Meeking are loads. Henderson made some great shots down the stretch. They are a very good basketball team. They will be very tough in their league this year."
Why did you start Tyrus Boswell and Marckell Patterson?
Stansbury: Because of the way that they have been playing. They have been performing better than some people in front of them. There is no secret about it; Mario Austin has to learn the energy level you have to play with day in, day out. He is a young player, who, defensively, is nowhere near where he has to be. We don't expect it because he is a freshman. All we expect from him every day is to work hard; give us all you have and don't worry about your mistakes.
Talk about Montana State, your next opponent?
Stansbury: They beat us last year and they have almost all of those players back. Last year, they led the country in three-point field goal percentage. They will be a very patterned team; a very disciplined team. It seems like right now opposing teams are coming in and that basket is as big as a barrel.
Robert Jackson led a pair of Mississippi State shooters in double figures, cashing in on his fourth double-double of the campaign (10th of his career) after collecting 18 points and 10 rebounds on an 8-of-12 shooting night from the field. However, Tech's Gerrod Henderson took control of the game for much of the night, hitting on 11 of 21 from the field to lead all scorers with 30 points. Tyrus Boswell chipped in 10 points for homestanding Mississippi State.
With nine points on the night, senior Tang Hamilton became just the 15th Mississippi State player to total 1,000 or more points and 500 or more rebounds. Hamilton also became the 23rd member of the 1,000-point club at Mississippi State. A three-year starter, Hamilton now has 1,002 points and 503 rebounds in his career in Starkville.
"There are not a lot of positive things we can take from this game other than the fact that we won," said Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury. "But, I'm not happy with the way that we played. One stat tells it all. We were outrebounded for the first time all season. We've been outrebounding our opponents by 18, but didn't get the job done tonight. That means we had a lack of effort on our part."
Clutching onto a three-point lead coming out of the break, Mississippi State pushed its lead to as much as nine points, 41-32, at the 16:31 mark before a three-pointer by Nick Stamps sparked Tech on a 14-2 run that gave Louisiana Tech a three-point lead with 12:39 remaining in the game. State's shooters found their rhythm with just more than six minutes left, using a scoring spurt to take a seven-point advantage at the 2:17 mark, but struggled to close the door on a Tech comeback.
"I am very proud of our team," said Louisiana Tech head coach Keith Richard. "To get it to five minutes left in the game and have a chance to win on the road, that is what you try to do. Our team did that and that is a positive. The negative of the game was that they really wore us down fatigue-wise. That last four minutes, their depth wore on us to the point where we couldn't run our offense."
Louisiana Tech pulled to within three, 64-61, with 24 seconds left, but key free throws by Marckell Patterson down the stretch iced the game for Mississippi State.
Louisiana Tech came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, holding an early lead until a Hamilton jumper at the 16:10 mark gave State an 8-7 lead. However, the visiting Bulldogs used a scoring spurt to take a 21-15 lead with just more than nine-and-a-half minutes remaining before State responded with a 13-3 run to take a seven-point advantage with 56 ticks remaining on a jumper by Robert Jackson.
Louisiana Tech scored the final four points of the opening half to go into halftime clinging onto a 33-30 deficit.
Mississippi State will return to action on Saturday when they suit up to host visiting Montana State of the Big Sky Conference. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. in Humphrey Coliseum.
LOUISIANA TECH (63)
Meeking 5-11 1-2 11, Henderson 11-21 4-4 30, Lewis 1-1 0-0 2, Stamps 5-9 0-0 12, Cole 1-8 1-2 3, Johnson 1-3 0-0 2, Davis 1-3 1-2 3. Totals 25-56 7-10 63.
MISSISSIPPI STATE (68)
Hamilton 3-7 2-2 9, Boswell 4-6 2-4 10, R. Jackson 8-12 2-5 18, A. Jackson 2-7 1-3 7, Patterson 2-7 4-4 8, Billups 0-3 0-0 0, Gardner 1-4 2-3 5, Bowers 1-1 0-0 3, Zimmerman 0-0 0-0 0, Q. Smith 0-1 0-0 0, Austin 3-3 2-2 8.
Halftime - Mississippi State 33, Louisiana Tech 30. Fouled Out - Johnson (LTU). Rebounds - LTU 34 (Cole 8), MSU 33 (R. Jackson 10). Assists - LTU 6 (Henderson 3), MSU 11 (A. Jackson 4). Total Fouls - LTU 17, MSU 14. A - 2,338.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
12/05/00
Men's Basketball - Looking to rebound from their first non-conference home loss in four years, the Bulldogs of Mississippi State continue their current six-game homestand by playing host to Louisiana Tech University Tuesday on the MSU campus. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m., and the game will be televised live by FOX Sports Net South.
Coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs bring a 3-2 record into this week's action after dropping an 83-72 home decision to the Richmond Spiders this past Saturday. The recent 11-point setback to the preseason favorite to win the Colonial Athletic Association snapped a string of 23 consecutive home wins over non-SEC opposition that had dated back to the 1996-97 season.
Currently second on the team in scoring (12.4 ppg) and third in rebounding (6.6 rpg), senior forward Tang Hamilton begins the week needing seven points to become the 23rd member of Mississippi State's 1,000-point club, along with being two rebounds shy of becoming the 15th player in school history to record both 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds.
Continuing to pace the Bulldogs on the young season is junior frontcourt standout Robert Jackson, who leads State in scoring (16.0 ppg) and rebounding (10.4 rpg), while ranking seventh and second, respectively, among the SEC statistical leaders. The Milwaukee native has registered three double-double performances in five outings this season.
As a team, MSU enters the week leading the SEC in rebounding (53.0 rpg), rebounding margin (+18.4 rpg) and three-point field goal percentage (40.2%), along with ranking second in field-goal percentage defense (36.6%).
Guided by fourth-year head coach Keith Richard, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs own a 4-2 record this season after claiming a 70-67 overtime road win over Bradley University this past Saturday in Peoria, Ill.
Concluding a four-game road swing Tuesday in Starkville, Tech is paced by the trio of Gerrod Henderson, Antonio Meeking and Marco Cole. The reigning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and 1999-2000 league scoring champion, Henderson is averaging a team-leading 17.0 points along with 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals per contest. Last year's SBC Freshman of the Year, Meeking averages 16.3 points and a team-most 7.7 boards a game, while Cole, a 6-6 guard, adds 15.0 points and 6.7 rebounds.
In a series dating back to the 1947-48 season, but idle for the past three decades, Mississippi State owns a 7-4 all-time series advantage over Louisiana Tech through the years. Most recently, Tech posted a 78-71 home win over visiting MSU on Dec. 6, 1969 in Ruston, La.
MSU will conclude its current six-game homestand by playing host to the Montana State Bobcats of the Big Sky Conference this Saturday afternoon on the Starkville campus. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
12/04/00 - No. 16 Mississippi State won its fourth straight game this season and defeating Georgia Tech 75-55 Sunday to move to 4-1. The victory gives the Lady Bulldogs' a 20-game non-conference home winning streak. Georgia Tech moves to 3-1 on the year.
With 19 points and 15 rebounds, sophomore standout Latoya Thomas continued her brilliant campaign with her third double-double this season. Thomas, who led all scorers, notched her 37th consecutive game scoring in double figures.
Mississippi State had two other Lady Bulldogs in double-figures. Junior Jennifer Fambrough tallied a season-high 21 points, her second straight game in double-figures. Senior Meadow Overstreet chipped in a season-high 17 while dishing out a team-high six assists. Thomas and Fambrough have combined for 81 points and 36 rebounds in the last two Lady Bulldog victories.
"LaToya Thomas put it on the line tonight," said MSU head coach Sharon Fanning following the game. "Jennifer Fambrough took it to the rim. I was really pleased with that one-two combination down low tonight."
While the Yellow Jackets scored the first points of the game, the Lady Bulldogs controlled the game from beginning to end. MSU took the lead at 16:49 in the first and never looked back. State finished the first half with a 10-point lead (36-26) even after shooting only 37 percent.
The second half proved to be more of the same for the Lady Bulldogs as they marched out to a 57-40 lead with 11:10 left in the game. MSU led by as much as 26 points late in the game thanks to 52-percent shooting in the second half.
Georgia Tech had four players in double-digits. Milli Martinez led the way with 16 points while Sonja Mallory scored 15 points. Tamika Boatner and Niesha Butler chipped in with 13 points each.
Mississippi State hits the road this week traveling to Ruston, La., to play No. 9 Louisiana Tech on Thursday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. Lady Bulldog action can be heard on WFCA 107.9 FM.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
12/03/00 - MSU's men's team was defeated by the Richmond Spiders last night. The final score was 83 to 72.
Comments on the game and other MSU basketball info:
Marckell Patterson led a quartet of Mississippi State players in double figures with 17 points due, in large part, to 5-7 shooting from beyond the arch. Tyrus Boswell and Tang Hamilton chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively, while Robert Jackson turned in a double-double for the Bulldogs, collecting 14 points and 10 rebounds. It was Jackson's ninth career double-double and his third this season.
Richmond shot 48.3 percent (28-58) from the field for the game, including a 57.7 percent (15-26) effort in the second half. Mississippi State turned in a 36.4 percent second half showing and finished the game 39.1 percent from the field. The Bulldogs also committed 14 turnovers.
The non-conference home loss marked the first for Mississippi State since a 75-72 setback to James Madison on Nov. 30, 1996.
"We knew going into this game that this would be one of the best teams we played all season long," said Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury. "And, when you shoot the ball the way we did today, that makes it tough. We knew how difficult it would be to defend them, but I don't think we were prepared for the possibility that they would make so many shots. Give John (Beilein) and Richmond a lot of credit. They came in here and just beat us."
After State climbed to within two with a Robert Jackson layup to open the second half, Richmond embarked on a 21-4 run to take one of two 19-point leads with 12:25 remaining in the game. Robert Jackson cut the deficit to 10 points, 68-58, on a tip-in at the 5:25 mark, but State could not get any closer. The Spiders used a 9-0 run over the course of the next 3:24 to, again, push its lead to 19, then thwarted any chances of a Mississippi State comeback with key free throws down the stretch.
The Spiders climbed on Mississippi State early, using hot shooting from the perimeter to take a 23-8 lead with 13:28 remaining in the opening stanza. After missing their first two attempts, the Spiders made seven of their next eight from the field, all of which were from beyond the arc. Richmond pushed its lead to 17 before Mississippi State put together a 13-2 run to cut its deficit to six with 6:22 left, then used a three-pointer by Patterson to climb to within three, 32-29, with 4:50 left.
Richmond pushed its lead back to eight with just more than two minutes left in the first half, but a pair of three-pointers by Hamilton down the stretch cut the State deficit to just four, 40-36, at the intermission.
Mississippi State will return to action on Tuesday when the Bulldogs return to Humphrey Coliseum to play host to Louisiana Tech. Tip off is set for 8 p.m., and the game will be televised by FOX Sports Net South.
RICHMOND (83)
Smith 4-7 4-5 14, Stevenson 8-20 6-7 23, Faulconer 1-4 0-0 3, Ungerer 6-8 0-4 16, Brown 6-13 4-7 21, Myers 0-1 0-0 0, Kauffman 0-0 0-0 0, Skrocki 0-0 0-0 0, Houston 1-3 0-0 2, Zwayer 2-2 0-0 4. Totals 28-58 14-23 83.
MISSISSIPPI STATE (72)
Hamilton 4-4 0-0 10, Austin 2-8 1-3 5, R. Jackson 5-15 4-5 14, A. Jackson 3-8 1-2 8, Zimmerman 0-0 0-0 0, Billups 0-2 0-0 0, Gardner 2-7 0-0 5, Patterson 6-13 5-7 17, Boswell 3-6 4-5 11, Q. Smith 0-1 2-4 2. Totals 25-64 12-20 72.
Halftime - Richmond 40, Mississippi State 36. Fouled Out - Richmond 1 (Zwayer). Rebounds - Mississippi State 45 (R. Jackson 10), Richmond 31 (Stevenson 10). Assists - Richmond 20 (Ungerer 5), Mississippi State 14 (Austin 4). Total Fouls - Mississippi State 21, Richmond 20. A - 2,640.
12/02/00
Men's Basketball - In their second game in three days, the Mississippi State Bulldogs continue their current six-game homestand by playing host to the University of Richmond Spiders Saturday afternoon on the MSU campus. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum, and the game is slated to be televised by Comcast Sports Southeast.
Saturday's first-ever basketball meeting with Richmond will mark the second of four games to be played by coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs during a 10-day stretch that will continue into next week. MSU will conclude its current homestand by welcoming Louisiana Tech and Montana State to Starkville next Tuesday (Dec. 5) and Saturday (Dec. 9), respectively.
Riding a three-game winning streak, Mississippi State owns a 3-1 mark on the year and 23-game home win string against non-SEC opposition after claiming a 102-60 home triumph over Alabama A&M this past Thursday. MSU has also knocked off Mississippi Valley State (93-58) and McNeese State (83-74) at home this season to rebound from its season-opening 83-76 overtime loss at California in the first round of the TiVo Preseason NIT.
Individually through the first four games of the year, the Bulldogs have been paced by reigning all-SEC frontliner Robert Jackson, who is currently leading the team in scoring (16.5 ppg), rebounding (10.5 rpg) and field-goal percentage (59.5%) after Thursday's 19-point, eight-rebound effort in State's win over Alabama A&M. Coming off a season-best, 20-point performance against A&M, senior forward Tang Hamilton enters the Richmond contest needing 17 more points to become the 23rd member of MSU's 1,000-point club. The Jackson, Miss., native is also just seven rebounds shy of becoming only the 15th player in school history to amass both 1,000 career rebounds and 500 career boards.
Returning all five starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's 18-12 ballclub that reached the finals of the Colonial Athletic Association for the second time in the past three years, the Richmond Spiders are the preseason pick to claim this year's CAA title. Guided by fourth-year head coach John Beilein, the Spiders bring a 2-1 record to Starkville in their first-ever visit to the state of Mississippi. Most recently, UR registered an 86-70 road triumph at Western Michigan last Saturday. After opening the current campaign with a 97-62 home victory over Radford, Richmond then dropped a 69-61 homecourt decision to then-17th ranked Wake Forest on Nov. 20.
Shooting 55 percent from the field collectively as a team, the Spiders are led by senior forward Greg Stevenson, who led the CAA in scoring (18.5 ppg) a year ago as a first-team, all-conference performer. This year, the former Penn State transfer is averaging a team-leading 19.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest, in addition to shooting 62 percent from the field. Leading the league in three-point field goal percentage (62.5%) and ranked second in scoring, Stevenson was named the CAA's Player of the Week this past Monday.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
The Lady Bulldogs are led in both the rebound and scoring categories by sophomore LaToya Thomas who is averaging 28.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Thomas erupted for 48 points in the season opening loss to Memphis and was named SEC Player of the Week last week.
One Lady Bulldog who played a major role in MSU's recent 90-48 win over Southern University was junior Jennifer Fambrough who tallied 17 points and eight boards in the victory. Fambrough is an all-SEC forward and a major factor of the16th ranked Lady Bulldogs' inside game.
"Jennifer is going to have to continue playing well if this is going to be a good basketball team," said head coach Sharon Fanning after the game against Southern Tuesday.
Fanning received some quality minutes from four different freshmen in the contest earlier this week. Lyndi Sippel, Seneca Anderson, Dana Benemon, and Jessica Carter all played at least 19 minutes in the game. Anderson notched a career-high 12 points while Sippel and Benemon grabbed six rebounds each.
Georgia Tech comes into the game sporting an undefeated record through three games. The Yellow Jackets defeated Cornell (74-68), Mount St. Mary's (102-90) and Georgia State (75-70). Milli Martinez leads the team in scoring averaging 16.7 points per game to go with her 8.7 rebounds per game. Tamika Boatner is another force for the Yellow Jackets averaging 14.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per outing.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
12/01/00 - MSU defeated Alabama A&M 102-60 last night.
Post-game press conference:
Alabama A&M Head Coach L. Vann Pettaway:
"They are a much deeper ball club. We knew that coming in here. Mississippi State is the best team we've played so far this year. They are deep. They should do well if they play with the energy and effort they played with tonight."
MSU Head Coach Rick Stansbury:
"I didn't think that we were as sharp, defensively, as we needed to be tonight. And maybe not playing for nine days had something to do with that. I'll take responsibility for that."
"There were some positive things. A positive thing is we have been able to bring some people off the bench who have been able to give different sparks at different times."
"(Coach Pettaway's) team was tired. They played a game the night before last. His team is better than they played tonight. He does a great job with that team. They will be a team that will compete for the top before it is over with."
Question was asked about the production of the MSU bench?
Coach Stansbury: Our bench has been very positive for us. I really think that Marckell (Patterson) loosen up tonight and played well for us.
Question asked about the upcoming game against Richmond this Saturday afternoon?
Coach Stansbury: Most people don't understand what we are up against this Saturday. Richmond (will be) the best basketball team that we have played this year. If they were in our conference on the western side, they would be as good as anybody. They won 18 games last year and went to the finals of their tournament and should have won it. They have all five starters coming back. They play a very difficult, disciplined style of basketball offensively. They are very good. It will be a very difficult task for us this Saturday.
Are you concerned about whether your guys will respect them?
Coach Stansbury: We have to get them to respect them. That is why we have put this one behind us and are already talking about Richmond.
Question about having a lot of fans in attendance at Saturday's game?
Coach Stansbury: It is very important to have a tremendous atmosphere here Saturday. A lot of people don't understand how good Richmond is. Richmond is going to be an NCAA team this year. They are a very difficult team to defend because they are going play like Princeton but with better athletes.
Basketball News:
If you want to see MSU signee Winsome Frazier play this weekend, his team is playing in a tournament in Lake Charles, La. today and Saturday. Not sure where the tournament is other than that it is in Lake Charles. His team will also be playing in the Magic City Classic Tournament in Birmingham, Al. on December 26th-28th.
Tang Hamilton led a quartet of State players in double figures, scoring 20 points on a 7-10 shooting night. Robert Jackson and Marckell Patterson reached double figures with 19 and 11 points, respectively, while Tyrus Boswell tallied his second consecutive double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.
The point total marked the first time that the Bulldogs reached the century mark since a 107-67 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 23, 1999. It was the largest margin of victory for the Bulldogs since a 105-53 rout of UAPB in the 1998-1999 season opener. The victory also extended State's non-conference home winning streak to 23 games.
"We are always glad to get a win," said Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury. "But, I don't think we played with the defensive energy that we wanted. Not playing for nine days will do that. I will take responsibility for that. At the same time, some guys got some things done. We have the luxury of, when our starters are not getting the job done, we can bring people off the bench to provide a spark."
Already clutching onto a 19-point lead coming out of the locker room, Mississippi State pushed its lead to 23 points, 59-36, on a free throw by Robert Jackson, then hit cruise control the rest of the way out. State took a 32-point lead with nine minutes remaining in the game, then pushed its advantage to 40 points with 2:57 left on a three-pointer by Timmy Bowers.
Three free throws by Ward Griffith with less than seven seconds left lifted State over the century mark and sent the 2,765 fans in attendance into a standing ovation.
Alabama A&M scored eight of the game's first 11 points in the opening three- and-a-half minutes of the game, but Mississippi State erupted on a 34-13 run to take a 21-point lead with just less than five minutes remaining in the opening half. Alabama A&M cut its deficit to 17 with 40 seconds remaining, but Bowers connected on a tip-in with five seconds remaining to give the hosts a 49-30 lead at the break.
Mississippi State will again be in action on Saturday when the Bulldogs return to Humphrey Coliseum to host the visiting Richmond Spiders at 1 p.m. in a game set to be regionally televised by Comcast Sports Southeast. The Spiders are the preseason pick to take home the Colonial Athletic Association championship.
ALABAMA A&M (60)
Floyd 2-7 2-4 6, Jones 5-6 0-0 10, Nicholson 6-14 0-1 12, Cambridge 1-5 4-4 6, Ward 6-15 4-6 20, Walker 0-0 0-0 0, Crayton 1-10 0-2 3, Phillips 0-4 0-0 0, Moore 0-2 0-0 0, Horton 0-4 0-0 0, Burks 1-4 0-0 3, Kellum 0-2 0-0 0, Hampton 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-74 10-17 60.
MISSISSIPPI STATE (102)
Hamilton 7-10 3-3 20, Austin 2-4 5-6 9, R. Jackson 8-11 3-3 19, A. Jackson 0-4 2-2 2, Zimmerman 1-5 0-1 2, Billups 3-5 0-1 6, Goffer 0-0 0-0 0, Griffith 0-0 3-3 3, Gardner 0-2 2-4 2, Bowers 3-5 1-2 8, Gholar 1-1 0-0 2, Stidham 0-0 0-0 0, Patterson 5-7 0-0 11, Boswell 5-8 0-0 10, Harper 0-0 0-0 0, Carr 0-0 0-0 0, Q. Smith 2-5 4-6 8. Totals 37-67 23-31 102.
Halftime - Mississippi State 49, Alabama A&M 30. Fouled Out - None. Rebounds - MSU 56 (Boswell, Q. Smith 11), AAMU 35 (Ward 7). Assists - MSU 21 (A. Jackson 7), AAMU 10 (Ward 4). Total Fouls - MSU 15, AAMU 25. A - 2,765.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department
Honors she has received include MVP of the state tournament, first team all-county, little all-city player of the year and Street and Smith's honorable mention. Having been named underclassmen all-state and team MVP the last three seasons, Kates was placed on the Tulsa World and Daily Oklahoman Blue Chip List.
"Rebecca will make a difference for the Lady Bulldogs," said Fanning. "She is a post player with tremendous footwork. She also plays great defense, rebounds, runs the floor, handles the ball, posts up, and can shoot the three."
Kates was a member of an AAU team that won the national championship three different years. Her AAU team also won the Oklahoma state title on seven different occasions.
A very well rounded student-athlete, Kates was a student council representative for three years and was selected student body president her senior year. She was a member of the Cashion High School Honor Roll and a Hoby Leadership delegate. She was also selected as the 2000 Kingfisher County Junior Miss.
"Rebecca is president of her student body, was player of the year in her division, and recently won the junior miss title in her county. We expect her to be a tremendous leader for our team," commented Fanning.
The 6-1 post player is the daughter of Ben and Peggy Kates.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department