STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State men's basketball coach Rick Stansbury announced Tuesday that Florida high school point guard Stephen Cowherd and junior college forward Brandon Vincent of nationally ranked Okaloosa-Walton Community College in Niceville, Fla., have signed national letters of intent to play for the Bulldogs.
A 6-2, 180-pound playmaker from Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Cowherd averaged 23.7 points, 6.2 assists, 3.4 steals and 3.1 rebounds per contest a year ago in collecting Sun-Sentinel All-County first-team honors as well as earning third-team Class 6A All-State accolades for the second consecutive season. A four-year starter for coach Mike Benanti's Douglas High Eagles, Cowherd averaged 30 points per contest in four games during last December's prestigious Naples Gulfshore Shootout to garner all-tournament honors.
Vincent, a 6-8, 225-pound forward, is currently averaging 12.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for coach Bruce Stewart's undefeated (8-0) and 12th-ranked OWCC Raiders. Last season as a freshman, Vincent averaged 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per outing in helping pace Okaloosa-Walton to both the FCCAA State and Region VIII championships en route to a sixth-place national finish in the 2001 NJCAA Tournament with a 29-6 record. A native of New Orleans, Vincent prepped at John Ehret High School in Marrero, La.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department
BULLDOGS HOST ALABAMA A&M TO BEGIN WEEK OF HOME ACTION
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- One of only two remaining undefeated basketball teams in the Southeastern Conference, the 4-0 Mississippi State Bulldogs begin a week of home activity by playing host to Alabama A&M University Wednesday evening on the MSU campus. Set to be televised regionally by Comcast Sports Southeast, Wednesday's tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum.
Coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs enter this week's two-game homestand undefeated in four outings after claiming a 79-71 road win over Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns this past Saturday in Lafayette, La. Off to the school's first 4-0 start since Stansbury's first season (1998-99) at the Bulldog helm, MSU opened the new campaign with convincing home wins over Nicholls State (95-59), Florida A&M (92-55) and Arkansas-Little Rock (93-81).
As a team, Mississippi State began the week leading the SEC in scoring offense (89.8 ppg), scoring margin (+23.2 ppg) and field-goal percentage (.547). Defensively, the Bulldogs are ranked second in field-goal percentage defense (.368), blocked shots (6.25 bpg) and steals (12.0 spg).
Individually, MSU continues to be paced by senior Marckell Patterson, who entered this week's league action leading the SEC in scoring (23.8 ppg) and field goal percentage (.632), while ranking second in free-throw percentage (.905). The Eupora native has now led the Bulldogs in scoring during each of the team's first four games this season, becoming the first State player since Cameron Burns (1989-90) to score 20 or more points in four consecutive contests.
Already with three 20-point outings to his credit this season, sophomore Mario Austin began the week ranked fourth in the Southeastern Conference in scoring (17.5 ppg), fifth in rebounding (8.2 rpg) and third in blocks (2.0 bpg). Junior point guard Derrick Zimmerman has maintained his solid backcourt play for the Bulldogs by topping the league in both assists (8.5 apg) and steals (3.0 spg), in addition to averaging 9.3 points and 3.5 rebounds an outing.
By way of Normal, Ala., and the Southwestern Athletic Conference, the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M are 1-1 thus far on the year after dropping a 98-75 road decision to the Detroit Titans this past Saturday. AAMU opened the 2001-02 season with a 75-59 home triumph over Tuskegee. Guided by 16th-year head coach L. Vann Pettaway, the Bulldogs have completed serving their mandatory probation period after making the jump to NCAA Division I competition. Now eligible for postseason tournament play for the first time since moving up to Division I status in 1998, Alabama A&M is led by senior all SWAC guard Desmond Cambridge, who is averaging 18.5 points, 5.0 assists, 5.0 steals and 3.0 rebounds per contest on the year.
Mississippi State will next face its third Sun Belt Conference opponent in the team's last four outings this Sunday afternoon when the South Alabama Jaguars visit Starkville. Tip-off time for the regionally televised contest (Comcast Sports Southeast) is set for 2 p.m. at MSU's Humphrey Coliseum.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department
STARKVILLE, Miss. --- The Lady Bulldogs used a 16-3 scoring run midway through the second half to take control of the game and beat Memphis 95-73.
Mississippi State (4-1) opened its' five point lead at the halftime break to as many as 25 points in the final 20 minutes of play. State was led in the second half by freshman Tan White who scored 12 of her 14 points in the final period. White has reached double-digit status in each of her first five games as a Lady Bulldog.
"In the second half we looked like a basketball team," said head coach Sharon Fanning. "We played smarter in the last half of the game."
Two-time Kodak All-American LaToya Thomas, who led MSU in scoring with 23 points, became the Lady Bulldogs' all-time leading scorer in the first half. She completed a three-point play with 7:16 remaining before halftime to surpass LaCharlotte Smith's record of 1,533 career-points. Thomas kept going and scored 17 points in only 12 minutes of action in the first half. The 6-0 forward now has 1,544 career points in 68 games as a Lady Bulldog. It took Smith 106 games to set the previous record.
"It's great," said Fanning of Thomas' record-breaking performance. "But I hope she continues to focus on how the team progresses, which she has been able to do every time she's broken records and earned awards."
Senior forward Jennifer Fambrough poured in 17 points and grabbed nine boards, marking the second time this season she was one rebound shy of a double-double. Sophomores Lyndi Sippel and Meagan O'Nan set career-highs with eight and five points, respectively.
Mississippi State shot 61 percent from the field while holding Memphis to 44 percent shooting, but the Lady Tigers held the rebounding edge 34-32.
Memphis had five players in double digits with Melissa Abraham leading the way with 15 points.
The Lady Bulldogs' next action will be on the road Thursday, Nov. 29, when they travel to Birmingham, Ala., to play UAB. Tip off between the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Blazers is set for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on CSS. The game can be heard on WFCA 107.9 FM, with Jim Ellis calling the action.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department
11/27/01
MEN'S BASKETBALL
CSS TO TELEVISE UPCOMING MEN'S BASKETBALL HOME GAMES
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Comcast Sports Southeast, a 24-hour, regional sports network based in Atlanta, will televise this week's Mississippi State men's basketball home games versus Alabama A&M and South Alabama on Wednesday and Sunday, respectively.
Wednesday's home contest against Alabama A&M of the Southwestern Athletic Conference is set for a 7 p.m. tip-off, while Sunday's game versus the South Alabama Jaguars of the Sun Belt Conference will begin at 2 p.m. Both contests will be played at MSU's Humphrey Coliseum.
With 3 million subscribers encompassing nine Southeastern states, Comcast Sports Southeast's regional coverage area includes portions of the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and North Carolina. The Mississippi markets making up CSS's in-state coverage area include West Point, Tupelo, Fulton, Corinth, Okolona, Meridian, Picayune, Hattiesburg and Laurel.
Veteran Mississippi State broadcaster Jim Ellis, general manager of Bulldog Sports Network, will handle the play-by-play duties for the upcoming MSU basketball telecasts on Comcast Sports Southeast. Former University of Alabama and Arkansas-Little Rock head basketball coach Wimp Sanderson is slated to join Ellis on this week's CSS telecasts as color analyst.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department
STARKVILLE, Miss. ญญ Coach Sharon Fanning's Lady Bulldog basketball team returns to Humphrey Coliseum on Tuesday to host Memphis at 7:00 p.m. Mississippi State recently participated in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in Ames, Iowa, where they defeated No. 22 Maryland 71-61 before falling to No. 6 Iowa State 87-74.
The senior leadership provided by Jennifer Fambrough continues to be a key to State's success. Fambrough, who has helped the Lady Bulldogs to a 3-1 start had 14 points in the upset over Maryland. She is averaging 11.5 points per game for the season, which includes a 16-point, nine-rebound game versus Tennessee Tech. Currently second on the squad with 11 assists, the 6-0 forward dished out her season-high four assists in the loss at Iowa State.
Fambrough was helped in the tournament by newcomers Tan White and Renea Jones. Jones scored her MSU career-high against Maryland with 13 points and added nine points against Iowa State. White exploded for 28 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the loss to Iowa State, which makes her season averages 19.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per outing.
Memphis enters the contest sporting a 3-2 record and is led by junior center Shannon Hamp, averaging 16.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Coach Joye Lee-McNelis' squad defeated Mississippi State 88-82 in the season opener a year ago, when LaToya Thomas set MSU's school record for points in a game with 48.
The Lady Tigers lead the all-time series 18-9, but State is 8-4 in Starkville, including the last three meetings in Humphrey Coliseum. The Lady Bulldogs last loss to Memphis at home was a 74-60 contest in 1994. Fanning is 6-6 all-time vs. the Lady Tigers, including a 3-3 mark since coming to State.
Lady Bulldog basketball can be heard on WFCA 107.9 FM with Jim Ellis calling the action.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department
11/22/01
MEN'S BASKETBALL
BULLDOGS FEND OFF PESKY ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK, 93-81
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Marckell Patterson and Mario Austin combined for 45 points as hot-handed Mississippi State (3-0) used a 64 percent shooting effort in the second half to defeat visiting Arkansas-Little Rock (1-2), 93-81, Wednesday evening in Humphrey Coliseum.
Patterson led all scorers with 23 points on a 7-14 effort from the field, while Austin connected on 73 percent (8-11) of his shots en route to a career-high 22-point night. Ontario Harper scored 10 off the bench and added seven rebounds for the Bulldogs to tally his first career double-digit scoring effort, while Derrick Zimmerman collected nine points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Danny McCall came off the bench to score 22 points and pace Arkansas-Little Rock of the Sun Belt Conference.
Mississippi State shot a deadly 56 percent from the field in the game, including a 43.8 effort from beyond the three-point stripe. The contest marked the third-straight game in which the Bulldogs did not trail. The victory also marked the third-straight time the Bulldogs have scored 90 or more points in a game, the first such accomplishment since reaching 90 points in the second, third and fourth games of the 1989-90 campaign.
"We're happy with the victory," said Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury. "They are a quality basketball team and have a lot of guys that can shoot the basketball. We really took it to them early, but then Michael Gholar got into foul trouble and we had to go big. When we went big, we didn't handle the pressure or attack the zone as we would have liked to."
The Trojans matched the Bulldogs stride for stride throughout the first 14 minutes of the second half, but a pair of Zimmerman free throws with 5:54 remaining sparked Mississippi State on a scoring spurt that pushed the lead out to 20 points, 80-60, less than two minutes later. The Trojans used quick fouls in the waning moments of the contest to slow the game down and inch to within 12 points with 1:13 remaining, but the hosts made good on enough free throw shots down the stretch to ice the game.
"I thought Mississippi State came out ready to play," said Arkansas-Little Rock head coach Porter Moser. "They jumped out to a big lead and hit some threes right out of the gate and got some offensive rebounds. They're an extremely athletic team."
State took advantage of sloppy play by the Trojans out of the gates to forge a 13-0 lead just 3:10 into the contest, then went up by as many as 15 points, 23-8, on a jumper by Patterson at the 11:47 mark. However, sloppy play and poor shot selection forced the Bulldogs to squander the lead as Arkansas-Little Rock pulled back to within three, 30-27, with 4:07 remaining in the opening half. Mississippi State scored the final six points of the opening stanza to take a 36-27 lead into the halftime break.
The Bulldogs will return to action on Saturday when they head south to battle Sun Belt Conference foe Louisiana-Lafayette in their first road tilt of the 2001-02 season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside the 12,800-seat Cajun Dome in Lafayette, La.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department
Two-time Kodak All-American LaToya Thomas led State for the third time this season, this time with 29 points. The 6-0 forward grabbed 15 rebounds, tallied two blocks and stole the ball three times in 39 minutes of action.
"I never thought we would lose," said Thomas. "Even when we were down by 11 with six minutes to go, I knew we could win. I talked to the team and tried to keep them up. We just kept pushing."
Also playing 39 minutes and scoring the second most points was was freshman Tan White, who chipped in 15 points, 11 in the first half. The 5-8 guard from Tupelo, Miss., led the team in assists (4) and steals (5), while grabbing six boards.
Starters Jennifer Fambrough and Renae Jones also recorded double digits with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Each had three assists and two steals and were the only Lady Bulldogs to hit from long range, each with two three-pointers.
Although State led four times in the first half it was never by more than two. Maryland on the other hand led by as many as six in the first half and went on to lead by as many as 11 points with just under seven minutes left in the game.
The Lady Bulldogs went on a 12-2 run in three minutes to take the lead at 54-53. During that time, Thomas hit four free throws and a bucket, while Fambrough and Jones each hit a three-pointer.
Jones hit two from the charity stripe with 2:46 on the clock to give MSU a three-point lead. In the remaining two minutes, Thomas, Fambrough, White and Jones combined to make 11-of-14 free throws to seal the victory.
"I am pleased with the win and the effort down the stretch," said head coach Sharon Fanning. "But we still have a lot to learn. This is getting us ready for playing in the Southeastern Conference, definitely, but we still have to take it one game and maybe even one half at a time."
Maryland, ahead 28-27 at halftime, outshot MSU 38-36 percent in the first 20 minutes. But, the Lady Bulldogs came out of the locker room ready in the second half and managed 53 percent from the field while holding the Terrapins to 38 percent.
The Lady Bulldogs play the winner of the Iowa State/DePaul contest in the championship game Friday, Nov. 23, at 3 p.m. CST on ESPN. State's game can also be heard on WFCA 107.9 with Bart Gregory calling the action.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department
11/20/01
MEN'S BASKETBALL
MISSISSIPPI STATE RATTLES FLORIDA A&M, 92-55
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State got a career-high 29 points from Marckell Patterson and a scintillating performance from its defense as the Bulldogs moved to 2-0 with a 92-55 rout over Florida A&M (0-2) Monday evening in Humphrey Coliseum.
Patterson, MSU's senior swingman from nearby Eupora, Miss., drained 16 of his 29 points in the first half on 5-8 shooting, then finished off his masterpiece with 13 more in the second frame on 6-6 shooting from the field. He led a trio of Bulldogs with double-digit scoring efforts, including freshman Winsome Frazier, who recorded 10 points in his first career start. Mario Austin recorded a career and game-high 12 rebounds, while also collecting a career-high four blocked shots for the Bulldogs. Austin finished the game with eight points.
Michael Griffith scored 19 points on a 6-23 performance from the field to pace the Rattlers, who were victimized by a smothering Mississippi State defense that held the visitors to a 24.7 percent shooting effort from the field. Points leader Demarcus Wilkins, a 27-point scorer against Georgia Tech on Friday in Atlanta, was held scoreless in the first half and finished the game with just six points on 2-13 shooting.
The Bulldogs blocked 11 shots for the first time since recording the same total in a 55-point victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 23, 1999.
"We improved in a lot of areas tonight," said Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury. "We did a much better job in keeping the ball away from the basket defensively. Offensively, we shared the basketball well. We moved the ball well around the zone, and the shots we took from the perimeter were of much higher quality tonight. Our whole team came out tonight with a better defensive purpose."
Blessed with a 51-30 halftime lead, the Bulldogs stretched their lead to 37 points just more than six minutes into the period on a combination of hot shooting and untimely turnovers by the visitors. Florida A&M used a mental lapse by the Bulldogs near the eight minute mark to cut its deficit to 31, but could not get any closer. Marcus Campbell's dunk with 68 ticks remaining gave the Bulldogs a game-high 44-point lead, 92-48, before the Rattlers closed out the game with seven unanswered points.
"Obviously, the better team won," said Florida A&M head coach Mike Gillespie. "They were a physical team, a very athletic team and they are well coached. Mississippi State did what they had to do tonight. They came out and took us out of some things defensively."
Mississippi State came out of the gates sizzling, using a combination of easy layups and three-pointers to take an 11-1 lead just 3:20 into the game. Patterson scored the first of seven successive points at the 14:50 point to spark the Bulldogs on a 5-0 scoring spurt, then watched as his teammates used a bit of razzle dazzle to stretch the lead to 22 points, 40-18, on a free throw by Derrick Zimmerman with 4:38 remaining. Zimmerman finished with seven points, nine assists and three steals on the evening.
The Bulldogs will return to action on Wednesday when they close out a three-game homestand against Arkansas-Little Rock of the Sun Belt Conference. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in Humphrey Coliseum.
FLORIDA A&M (55)
Tudeme 3-9 0-0 8, Hill 2-11 4-6 8, Wilkins 2-13 2-2 6, Miles 0-4 1-2 1, Griffith 6-23 3-6 19, Ross 3-6 0-0 7, Jackson 0-1 0-0 0, Zamore 0-0 0-0 0, Dupree 1-3 0-0 2, Cisse 0-3 0-1 0, Jenkins 2-4 0-2 4. Team 19-77 10-19 55.
MISSISSIPPI STATE (92)
Gholar 4-8 2-4 12, Patterson 11-14 5-5 29, Austin 4-8 0-3 8, Zimmerman 2-3 3-4 7, Frazier 4-6 0-0 10, Campbell 4-8 1-3 9, Gardner 0-0 0-0 0, Stidham 0-1 1-2 0, Harper 3-6 1-3 7, Carr 0-2 0-0 0, Smith 2-4 5-7 9. Team 34-60 18-31 92.
Halftime - Mississippi State 51, Florida A&M 30. Fouled Out - Miles, Florida A&M. Rebounds - Florida A&M 43 (Tudeme 9), Mississippi State 54 (Austin 12). Assists - Florida A&M 9 (Wilkins 5), Mississippi State 22 (Zimmerman 9). Total Fouls - Florida A&M 21, Mississippi State 19.
Attendance - 2,687.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department
One of the big stories of the early season has been the play of true freshman Tan White. White is a 5-8 guard out of Tupelo who earned Parade All-American honors and was named the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year as a prep senior. So far, she has averaged 17.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game as a Lady Bulldog. That includes her first collegiate double-double, a 24-point, 14-rebound effort versus Tennessee Tech. White was two assists shy of a triple-double as she dished out eight assists against TTU.
Two-time Kodak All-American LaToya Thomas continues to be a dominating player for the Lady Bulldogs. She erupted for 39 points against Tennessee Tech and is averaging 29.0 points per contest for the season. Thomas is tied with White for the team lead in rebounds with 9.0 per game.
Maryland, ranked 22nd in the latest Associated Press poll and 24th in this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, was victorious in its two games as well. The Terrapins, coached by Chris Weller (488-269), opened their campaign with an 81-56 win over Coppin State before defeating Loyola, 82-51. Maryland returns all five starters from last year's NCAA Tournament team.
The Lady Bulldogs can be heard on 107.9 WFCA with Bart Gregory calling the action in both games this holiday break.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department
11/18/01
MEN'S BASKETBALL
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State Bulldogs shot 57 percent from the field while cruising to a 95-59 home win over Nicholls State Saturday night at Humphrey Coliseum. The game was the season opener for both teams.
MSU's Marckell Patterson led all scorers with 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Mario Austin added a career-high 20 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field. True freshman Winsome Frazier scored 11 points in his MSU debut. Larry Jones paced Nicholls State of the Southland Conference with 19 points.
"It is nice to get that first game behind you," said MSU head coach Rick Stansbury. "We came out and did what we were supposed to do. There were a lot of things in the game that we need to improve on, but we did a lot of positive things, too."
State scored the first eight points of the game before Nicholls State scored its first bucket at the 17:31 mark. The Colonels closed the gap to 12-8 before an 8-2 run gave the Bulldogs a 10-point cushion with 13:25 left in the first half. After two straight Nicholls State three-pointers pulled the Colonels to within two (20-18), the Bulldogs closed the half with a 31-10 run to lead, 51-28, at the break.
The Bulldogs pushed the lead to 64-40 five minutes into the second half before scoring 14 straight points to lead, 78-40, with 10:27 remaining. With 6:35 left, senior forward Michael Gholar took a pass from Derrick Zimmerman and electrified the crowd with an alley-oop dunk to give the Bulldogs their largest lead of the night, 88-46.
Mississippi State dominated the boards, outrebounding the Colonels 49-28. Austin and Ontario Harper paced MSU's rebounding effort with nine boards apiece. The Bulldogs' 20 steals enter the record books as the third-most steals in MSU history, while also ranking as the most by a State team in a game since the 1975-76 season. Seven Bulldogs were credited with at least one pick in the contest, led by Zimmerman and Guy Gardner with four apiece.
All 13 players that dressed out for the Bulldogs saw action. Marcus Campbell scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds in his MSU debut. Lincoln Smith, a sophomore post player who sat out last season as a redshirt, scored eight points and pulled down seven rebounds off the bench. Zimmerman, who started at point guard, scored nine points and dished out a career-high 11 assists.
"I thought Derrick had a nice floor game tonight," Stansbury noted. "He made some passes that you want your point guard making. He also did not force a lot of shots."
Mississippi State will play two more home games before the Thanksgiving holiday. The Bulldogs will host Florida A&M Monday night before closing their season-opening, three-game homestand versus Arkansas Little-Rock on Wednesday. Both tips are slated for 7 p.m. starts.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department
11/09/01
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
STARKVILLE, Miss. ญญ The Lady Bulldogs closed out exhibition play Thursday night in Humphrey Coliseum with a 72-59 win over the Australian Institute of Sport. Freshman guard Tan White led the Lady Bulldogs in the scoring column with 22 points, while grabbing four boards.
Mississippi State's tandem of Jennifer Fambrough and LaToya Thomas both recorded double-doubles. Fambrough had 17 points along with 11 rebounds. Thomas poured in 10 points and tallied 10 boards. Junior Keisha Stringfellow and freshman Ebonie Ferguson both chipped in six points for MSU.
"It was ugly, but we found a way to win," said head coach Sharon Fanning. "It was a positive to record the win."
State led by as many as 15 points in the win and led 40-31 at the intermission.
The visitors from Down Under were led by Carly Wilson and Shelley Hammonds both scoring 14 points apiece.
The Lady Bulldogs begin regular season action on Friday, Nov. 16, hosting Alabama A&M at Humphrey Coliseum. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department
11/04/01
MEN'S BASKETBALL
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- With six players scoring in double figures, the Mississippi State Bulldogs opened their 2001-02 preseason basketball slate with a 110-89 exhibition victory over the Branch West Basketball Academy of California Saturday evening on the MSU campus.
With 11 players contributing to the balanced scoring attack, the Bulldogs increased their 13-point (57-44) halftime advantage to 26 points on a couple of occasions in the second stanza before settling with the 21-point victory. Shooting 47 percent from the field overall for the game, including 11-of-27 three-pointers, MSU dominated the boards with a 55-32 rebounding advantage.
"I thought we did really well tonight on the offensive end," said MSU head coach Rick Stansbury. "We gave 11 guys a lot of minutes tonight, just trying to see how they would do in game situations and how things carried over from practice. Overall, I am pleased with tonight's effort. We just need to improve on the defensive side of the court."
Junior forward Michal Ignerski, a third-team all-American at Eastern Oklahoma State College a year ago, paced the Bulldogs with 16 points on 7-of-9 field-goal shooting. The Lublin, Poland native also grabbed eight rebounds in 20 minutes of action for the winners. Junior Derrick Zimmerman and sophomore Mario Austin added 14 points apiece, while senior Marckell Patterson contributed 13 points and seven rebounds to the winning effort. Freshmen Marcus Campbell and Winsome Frazier added 12 and 11 points, respectively, to round out MSU's double-digit scorers.
Dropping to 0-2 on their eight-game, 12-day exhibition tour (they lost to Loyola of Chicago 83-71), the Branch West Basketball Academy was led by Edmund Saunders' game-high 33 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 accuracy from the line. The former Connecticut standout also collected nine rebounds. Matt Watt and Durelle Brown added 17 and 13 points, respectively.
The Bulldogs close out preseason exhibition competition by playing host to the Birmingham Bullets of England next Saturday, Nov. 10. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum, and there will be no charge for admission. Mississippi State opens the 2001-02 regular season with a three-game homestand, taking on Nicholls State (Nov. 17), Florida A&M (Nov. 19) and Arkansas-Little Rock (Nov. 21) within a five-day span to open the season.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department
11/03/01
MEN'S BASKETBALL
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- In their first of two preseason exhibition tests, coach Rick Stansbury's Mississippi State Bulldogs play host to the Branch West Basketball Academy of California Saturday evening on the MSU campus. The adjusted tip-off time is now set for 6:30 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum, and there will be no charge for admission.
Established in 1991 and now in its second season of fielding a college exhibition team, the Branch West Basketball Academy is one of the most prestigious year-round basketball schools for developing players' offensive basketball skills in the Southern California area. This year's BWBA squad consists of nine former collegiate standouts from throughout the country.
The BWBA's current college exhibition team is coached by Bob Gottlieb, who owns 15 years of experience coaching at the NCAA Division I level, including previous head coaching stints at Jacksonville and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. This past Thursday, the BWBA contingent dropped an 83-71 decision at Loyola University of Chicago. From Starkville, BWBA's eight-game, two-week exhibition tour will take the team to Northern Arizona (Nov. 5), Wisconsin-Green Bay (Nov. 7), Miami, Ohio (Nov. 8), Lamar (Nov. 9), Rice (Nov. 11), and Arkansas State (Nov. 12).
The Bulldogs will close out their preseason exhibition slate by playing host to the Birmingham Bullets of England next Saturday, Nov. 10. Tip-off time for next week is set for 7 p.m. at MSU's Humphrey Coliseum, and there will again be no charge for admission.
Beginning his fourth season at the Bulldog helm, Stansbury returns eight lettermen from last year's 18-13 contingent, which advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2001 TiVo National Invitation Tournament before falling to eventual NIT champion Tulsa. The Bulldogs will look to be paced during the upcoming campaign by senior swingmen Marckell Patterson and Michael Gholar, junior guard Derrick Zimmerman, and sophomore frontcourt standout Mario Austin. Expected to lead MSU's talented group of newcomers will be junior forward Michal Ignerski, who earned third-team all-America honors last season at Eastern Oklahoma State College.
Mississippi State will begin the 2001-02 regular season with a three-game homestand, playing host to Nicholls State (Nov. 17), Florida A&M (Nov. 19) and Arkansas-Little Rock (Nov. 21).
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Sports Media Relations Department
11/02/01
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
STARKVILLE--ญญ-- The Lady Bulldogs opened their 2001-2002 campaign in fine fashion Thursday night with a 110-79 win over the Houston Jaguars at Humphrey Coliseum.
Mississippi State led 55-34 at halftime.
MSU's returning starters from last season senior Jennifer Fambrough and junior LaToya Thomas tallied 24 and 22 points, respectively. Both Lady Bulldogs reached double digits in the first half. Thomas was second on the team with seven boards.
"We played surprisingly well and stayed focused," said head coach Sharon Fanning. "Jenn and Toya showed leadership, talking to people on the court and helping the newcomers."
Tan White, who made her first collegiate start recorded the Lady Bulldogs only double-double. The Tupelo, Miss., product tallied 15 points and led MSU with 12 rebounds.
Also starting in her first game for the maroon and white, junior transfer Renea Jones chipped in nine points. Junior Keisha Stringfellow tallied eight points, three rebounds and four assists in her first start since last fall.
Other newcomers making their Lady Bulldog debut were Ebonie Ferguson, who led the team in three pointers off two-of-two shooting from long range, Rebecca Kates, a freshman from Cashion, Okla., chipped in seven points. Sophomore Meagan O'Nan made her first appearance for MSU after sitting out last season as a transfer from Tennessee-Chattanooga.
Leading the way for the Jaguars was former Lady Bulldog LaCharlotte Smith who finished with 14 points, 4 three pointers. Smith, who played at State from 1993-96, still stands as MSU's all-time leading scorer with 1,533 points.
The Lady Bulldogs return to action next Thursday, Nov. 8, when they play host to the Australia Institute of Sport in their final exhibition game. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum.
Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department