January 2002 MSU Basketball Skuttle-Butt

MSU (14-6, 5-2) won a hotly contested battle between the two schools earlier in the SEC season, 84-82, in overtime in Starkville. State's LaToya Thomas scored a season-high 43 points in that contest, while nailing a near-perfect 14-of-15 shots from the free-throw line.

Mississippi State has won four of its last five tilts, including last Sunday's 87-66 pounding of cross-state rival Mississippi, which completed the second-ever season sweep of the Lady Rebels by State. MSU has won two of its three conference road games this season, but is just 3-5 away from home, overall. Georgia, coached by the veteran Andy Landers, has struggled in conference play, going 3-4, including last Sunday's 73-64 set-back at No. 18 Florida.

MSU is led by Kodak All-American Thomas, who also leads the SEC with 23.7 points per game. The junior inside warrior also leads the squad in rebounding, grabbing nearly 10 boards per night. She leads the team in field-goal shooting (54.7 percent) and double-doubles, with nine so far this season.

Freshman guard Tan White has made an immediate impact for State, averaging nearly 20 points per game while grabbing eight rebounds per contest. The Tupelo, Miss., native leads the team in assists (80), blocked shots (24) and steals (60).

Joining the duo in double-figures is veteran forward Jennifer Fambrough, who is chipping in 12.5 points per outing to go along with six rebounds per game. The senior leads the team in free-throw shooting, nailing 80.9 percent of her shots from the charity-stripe.

Kara Braxton leads Georgia in scoring (16.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg). Christi Thomas, who scored 25 points against State in the earlier meeting, is second on the squad with 11.7 points per night and 6.8 rebounds per game.

Mississippi State is among the conference leaders in scoring, averaging 78.9 points per game, while giving up 70.2. MSU shoots 45.7 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from long-range and 73.1 percent from the free-throw line. State holds its opponents to 40.9 percent shooting from the floor and just 29.3 percent from behind the arc.

Georgia, which boasts three players that are 6-4 or taller, is averaging 71.6 points per game while giving up 61.5. UGA shoots 45.5 percent from the floor, 30 percent from three-point range and 66.9 percent from the charity stripe. Georiga outrebounds its opponents by seven boards per night.

State has won four of the last seven meetings between the schools, including two of the last three. The game will be broadcast on WFCA, 107.9-FM, of French Camp, with Steve Ellis providing the play-by-play.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

01/30/02
Men's Basketball - Searching for their elusive first Southeastern Conference road win of the current campaign, the Mississippi State Bulldogs travel to the Plains to take on the Auburn Tigers Wednesday night on the AU campus. Tip-off at Auburn's Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised by Jefferson-Pilot Sports.

Having evenly split their first six SEC decisions with three home victories and a trio of road setbacks thus far on the year, coach Rick Stansbury's 16-4 Bulldogs have put together the school's best 20-game record since the 1962-63 campaign. In claiming an 84-61 home triumph over the LSU Tigers this past Saturday at Humphrey Coliseum, MSU posted the team's biggest victory margin in an SEC game since recording a 79-50 home win over Alabama three years ago.

In improving their league-leading team field-goal percentage to 50.0 percent on the season with Saturday's 63-percent shooting night against LSU, the Bulldogs' 32-of-51 effort from the field versus the Tigers marked MSU's best shooting performance in a league contest since the 1996-97 State squad connected on 30 of-46 field goals (65.2%) during a 93-77 home win over Arkansas. Mississippi State also improved its SEC-best rebound margin to +8.3 per game after outrebounding LSU by a 38-24 margin this past weekend. MSU has outrebounded all but three of its 20 opponents on the season.

Featured in the current issue of ESPN-The Magazine, sophomore Mario Austin continues to rank among the SEC's Top 10 statistical leaders in scoring (16.0 ppg; 10th), rebounding (7.7 rpg; 5th) and field-goal percentage (57.8%; 3rd). The former McDonald's High School All-American has now scored in double figures in all but three games this season, including a team-high seven 20-point efforts. Senior swingman Marckell Patterson and sophomore guard Timmy Bowers round out State's double-digit scorers at 13.9 and 10.2 points per game, respectively.

Now averaging 9.5 points, 6.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 steals an outing, junior point guard Derrick Zimmerman remains the catalyst for MSU's potent offensive attack. The 6-2 playmaker is bidding to become the first player to lead the SEC in both assists and steals during the same season since former Bulldog standout Chuck Evans performed the feat during the 1992-93 and 1991-92 seasons. Junior forward Michal Ignerski and senior tri-captain Michael Gholar round out State's starting-five averaging 8.8 and 7.6 points, along with 4.2 and 6.3 boards, per game, respectively.

Guided by coaching veteran Cliff Ellis, the Auburn Tigers are 9-9 overall and 1-6 in SEC play after dropping an 82-59 decision at Tennessee this past Sunday. AU has lost four consecutive games since posting a 59-56 home win over in-state rival Alabama on Jan. 12. The junior backcourt tandem of Marquis Daniels and Derrick Bird lead the way at 12.2 and 11.0 points per game, respectively.

Having snapped their nine-game series losing streak against Auburn last season, the Bulldogs will be seeking their first road win over the Tigers since a 78-75 overtime victory six years ago during MSU's 1995-96 Final Four season.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

01/26/02
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Riding a current streak of 13 consecutive regular season home victories, the Mississippi State Bulldogs will attempt to get back to the .500 mark in Southeastern Conference play this year by playing host to the LSU Tigers Saturday afternoon on the MSU campus. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum, and the game will be televised on FOX Sports Net South as part of the network's SEC-TV package.

Having reeled off 13 straight home wins in regular-season competition since dropping an 82-73 home decision to LSU a year ago (Jan. 24), coach Rick Stansbury's 15-4 Bulldogs are a perfect 8-0 at home this season after claiming back-to-back home overtime triumphs over SEC East foes Tennessee (92-91 on Jan. 16) and nationally ranked Kentucky (74-69 on Jan. 5). Mississippi State's trio of conference setbacks have all come on the road to SEC Western Division rivals Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas.

Presently topping the SEC in team field-goal percentage (49.4%) and rebounding margin (+8.0 rpg), Mississippi State entered the current week ranked ninth and 18th, respectively, among the NCAA's Division I team statistical leaders. In last Saturday's 85-73 loss at Alabama, the Bulldogs were outrebounded (36-29) for only the third time in 19 contests this season.

Individually, State continues to be paced by all-SEC candidate Mario Austin, who tops the Bulldogs and ranks among the league's Top 10 leaders in scoring (16.3 ppg; 8th in SEC), rebounding (7.7 rpg; 5th in SEC) and field-goal percentage (57.3%; 3rd in SEC and 24th in NCAA). Featured in this week's issue of ESPN-The Magazine, the sophomore standout is averaging 18.4 points per game on 61 percent field-goal shooting over his last nine outings.

Senior swingman Marckell Patterson, who became the 24th member of the school's 1,000-point club last week at Alabama, is averaging 13.9 points (18th in SEC), 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest on the year. Bidding to become the first SEC player to lead the league in both assists and steals in the same year since MSU's Chuck Evans, junior point guard and Louisiana native Derrick Zimmerman entered the week ranked 15th and 16th, respectively, among the NCAA's Division I leaders with league-leading averages of 6.2 assists and 2.7 steals per game. The team tri-captain is also averaging 9.7 points an outing.

Guided by former MSU assistant coach John Brady, in his fifth season at the LSU helm, the Tigers are 12-6 overall and 2-3 in SEC play after dropping a 70-55 decision at Mississippi this past Wednesday. LSU is led by junior forward Ronald Dupree, a former standout at Biloxi High School, who presently ranks fourth in the league in both scoring (17.1 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg).

Though the LSU Tigers hold a 95-82 all-time series lead over Mississippi State through the years, the Bulldogs have owned the advantage of late with 13 wins in the last 16 MSU-LSU hardwood meetings dating back to the 1993-94 campaign. A year ago, the two schools split the season series for the third consecutive year with each team prevailing on the other club's home floor.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

State (13-6, 4-2) can achieve just the second season sweep in school history over the Lady Rebels (9-10, 1-5) with a win. MSU defeated Mississippi 82-57 on January 10th in Starkville. Mississippi State has won six of the last seven contests between the two schools, including all three match-ups during the 1999-2000 campaign.

The Lady Bulldogs are fresh off a thrilling 85-82 victory in overtime over Arkansas Thursday, in a game which saw State overcome 30 turnovers and a six-point deficit in the final two minutes. Mississippi has lost five-straight, including Thursday's 79-69 loss at home to Georgia.

LaToya Thomas, a two-time Kodak All-American, continues to lead Mississippi State, as well as the SEC, in scoring, averaging 23.4 points per contest. The Greenville, Miss., native leads the squad in rebounding, pulling down 9.8 boards per game, and field goal shooting (55.5 percent). Thomas eclipsed the 30-point mark for the fourth time this season in her last outing versus Arkansas, scoring a game-high 32 points to go along with 10 rebounds. The junior post-player is averaging just over 25 points in SEC action.

Right behind her in the scoring column is freshman guard Tan White, who is averaging 19.0 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per contest. Joining her in double-figures is senior post-player Jennifer Fambrough, who is scoring 12.7 points per game while grabbing six rebounds per outing.

Two players average in double-figures for Mississippi, led by Sherika Wright, who is scoring at a 11.3 clip. Ally Kelly is averaging 10.7 points per game. The squad's leading rebounder is TaShondrea Moton, who is averaging more than six boards per game.

MSU is second in the conference in scoring, averaging 78.5 points per game, while giving up 72.5. The Lady Bulldogs are shooting 45.6 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from long-range, and 73.2 percent from the free-throw stripe. Mississippi is averaging 71.3 points per game while giving up 66.3. The Lady Rebels shoot 40.7 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from behind the arc, and 66.6 percent from the charity stripe.

Fanning is 6-7 versus Mississippi since coming to MSU. The Lady Rebels are 5-2 on their home floor this season, while State is just 2-5 on the road. The game will be televised to a live audience on Fox Sports Net South. Jim Ellis and Bart Gregory will provide the radio broadcast, on WFCA, 107.9-FM.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

01/19/02 - LADY BULLDOGS SEEK ROAD WIN ON THE PLAINS

STARKVILLE, Miss. --- The Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs, off to their best conference start in school history, will look to improve that mark hitting the road to face Auburn at 2 p.m. Sunday at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum.

Mississippi State (12-5, 3-1) is riding a two-game conference winning streak, after last Sunday's thrilling 84-82 victory over then-No. 8 Georgia at Humphrey Coliseum. State pounded arch-rival Mississippi the previous Thursday, 82-57, also at home.

On the other hand, Auburn (13-4,1-3) is off to a slow start in conference play. The Tigers suffered set-backs to No. 18 Florida (70-61), No. 2 Tennessee (71-50) and No. 14 Georgia (60-49). Auburn's lone conference win was a 70-66 victory over Kentucky.

Two-time Kodak All-American LaToya Thomas continues to pace the Lady Bulldogs, as well as the conference, in scoring, pouring in 23.1 points per game. That average is fourth-best, nationally. In conference games only, Thomas is chipping in 25.0 points per outing. She is also grabbing a team-best 9.6 rebounds per game and is the team's best field-goal shooter (55.6 percent).

Freshman guard Tan White is second on the team in scoring and rebounding, pouring in 18.8 points per game while grabbing 7.6 boards per contest. She leads the squad in assists (3.5 apg), steals (3.0 spg) and blocks (1.3 bpg). Her 29 three-pointers are also a team best.

Also in double-figures for State is senior forward Jennifer Fambrough, who is averaging 12.6 points per contest while grabbing 5.8 rebounds per night. She leads the team in long-range shooting, having hit 14-of-31 shots from behind the arc (45.2 percent).

Two players are averaging double-figures for Joe Ciampi's ball club. Carol Smith is averaging 10.4 points per contest while Le'Coe Willingham is averaging 10.3 points per game while grabbing a team-best 8.2 rebounds per contest.

Mississippi State is second in the conference in scoring, averaging 79.1 points per contest. The Lady Bulldogs shoot 46 percent from the field, 38 percent from behind the arc and 73 percent from the charity stripe. Auburn is averaging 71.2 points per outing while holding its opponents to 57.5 points. The Tigers shoot 43 percent from the floor, 29 percent from long-range and 68 percent from the free-throw line.

State has won two of the last three tilts against the Tigers. Auburn defeated MSU 78-48 last season in Auburn, but the Lady Bulldogs beat AU twice in the 1999-2000 season, 74-68 in overtime at Starkville, and 66-56 in the SEC Tournament. Sharon Fanning is 4-2 versus Auburn during her career at State.

Jim Ellis will be calling the action on WFCA 107.9 FM.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Sports Media Relations Department

01/15/02 - LATOYA THOMAS EARNS SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

STARKVILLE, Miss. ญญ It took a 43-point performance against No. 15 Georgia on Sunday for LaToya Thomas to earn her first Southeastern Conference Player of the Week honor for the 2001-02 season. The two-time Kodak All-American is leading Mississippi State and the SEC in scoring for the third consecutive season with 23.1 points per game.

Sunday's 84-82 win over Georgia marked MSU's third victory over a top-25 team this season. Thomas' 43 points marked the most points scored against Georgia by an individual in UGA women's basketball history.

Although her 43 points are the most Thomas has scored in Humphrey Coliseum, she was five points short of her career-high 48, which she dropped at Memphis in the first game of her sophomore season. Her only other 40+ point game was a 44-point effort in the first round of the 2001 SEC Tournament against Arkansas.

Against Georgia, Thomas had seven rebounds and a team-high four steals. She shot 70 percent (14-of-20) from the field and was 14-of-15 from the charity stripe. Having been a perfect two-for-two from the line last Thursday vs. Mississippi, she had made 16 consecutive free throws before she missed in the final five seconds of the UGA contest.

The player of the week award, her third in two seasons, was also due to her performance against arch-rival Mississippi. The 6-2 forward from Greenville, Miss., recorded her sixth double-double of the season and the 26th of her career with 20 points and 10 rebounds. She also dished five assists in that game and helped State to its largest margin of victory over the Lady Rebels in history 87-52.

Thomas has scored in double digits in every game since stepping onto the floor as a Lady Bulldog two and a half years ago which puts her current streak at 80 games. She has scored 20+ points in 23 of the last 29 games.

Just five games into her junior season and 68 games into her Lady Bulldog career, Thomas broke MSU's all-time scoring record and has now scored 1,816 points in 80 games. The previous record was held by LaCharlotte Smith who had 1,533 points in 106 games from 1993-96. Current Lady Bulldog senior Jennifer Fambrough stands behind Thomas now with 1,570 points in 108 outings.

Thomas also holds MSU's career records for field goals made, currently at 691, and free throws made, now with 419. She is just seven blocks away from breaking that career mark as well and she still has 11 regular-season games left this year.

Aside from the career records she has broken this season, Thomas holds 14 Mississippi State women's basketball standards.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

The Lady Bulldogs return to action Sunday, Jan. 20, at Auburn at 2 p.m. 01/12/02
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Looking to rebound from just their second setback of the season, the 22nd-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs resume their week of league road activity by heading to Oxford to take on the Mississippi Rebels Saturday afternoon. Tip-off at UM's C.M. "Tad" Smith Coliseum is set for 2 p.m.

Ranked 22nd nationally in this week's Associated Press media poll and 24th in the current USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll, coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs are 14-2 overall on the season and 1-1 in SEC play after dropping a 75-64 road decision to the Arkansas Razorbacks this past Wednesday at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. MSU vaulted into this week's Top 25 national polls for the first time since the school's 1995-96 Final Four season by virtue of last Saturday's dramatic 74-69 come-from behind overtime home victory over the then-sixth ranked Kentucky Wildcats. State's only other loss on the year came against now-10th ranked Cincinnati last month at the Las Vegas Classic.

As a team, the Bulldogs are still leading the SEC in team field-goal percentage (49.5%) despite only shooting 37.9 percent collectively from the field in their first two league contests. MSU entered this week's action ranked fourth among all NCAA Division I men's basketball teams at 50.3 percent as a unit. Having now out-rebounded all but two opponents (Arkansas-Little Rock and Cincinnati) this season, State also began the week atop the SEC and ranked 12th nationally in rebound margin (+9.5 rpg).

Individually, sophomore Mario Austin, the current SEC Player of the Week, paces the Bulldogs in scoring (15.6 ppg; 11th in the SEC) and rebounding (7.9 rpg; 4th in the SEC), while also ranking third among the league's leading field-goal shooters (55.9%). The former McDonald's High School All-American by way of York, Ala., garnered this week's league honor after scoring a career-high 32 points in last Saturday's comeback overtime victory over Kentucky, including a career-first three pointer to send the game into overtime.

Now needing just 37 more points to become the 24th member of MSU's 1,000-point club, senior swingman Marckell Patterson is averaging a steady 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest on the season, while sophomore guard Timmy Bowers is adding 10.5 points a game. Coming off a career-best, 17-point effort at Arkansas earlier in the week, junior point guard Derrick Zimmerman leads the SEC and ranks among the nation's Top 10 in assists (6.4 apg) as well as standing second in the league in steals (2.6 spg). The Monroe, La., native is also averaging 9.9 points per outing on the year.

Guided by fourth-year head coach Rod Barnes, the University of Mississippi Rebels own a 12-3 overall record and 1-1 league mark after claiming a 69-65 home win over Auburn this past Wednesday. With all five starters scoring in double digits, Ole Miss is led in scoring (14.9 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg) by sophomore forward Justin Reed.

Having won four of the last five State-Ole Miss hardwood meetings, the Bulldogs own a 122-100 all-time series lead over the Rebels. Last year, the two rivals split the season series with each team winning on its respective home floor. While also having evenly split the last eight meetings dating back to the 1997-98 season, the average margin of victory over the past four seasons has been 6.5 points per MSU-UM contest.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

01/03/02 - The MSU ticket office reports that tickets are going fast, but there are still quite a few left for this Saturday's game with Kentucky. I would suggest that you purchase your tickets as soon as you can, since a lot of the students will very likely be coming back early to see the game. The ticket office phone number is 662-325-2600.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State basketball fans will have their first opportunity to talk with MSU head basketball coach Rick Stansbury Thursday in the 2001-2002 season debut of "Dawgs Talk with Rick Stansbury."

The hour-long radio call-in show, featuring the Bulldogs' fourth-year head coach, will air each Thursday night at 7 p.m. CT on nearly 30 radio stations throughout Mississippi. The weekly radio show will originate every Thursday during the course of the regular season from Starkville's Cotton District Grill.

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

2001-2002 RICK STANSBURY CALL-IN RADIO SHOW AFFILIATES

Aberdeen... WWZQ-AM... 1240
Amory... WAMY-AM... 1580
Biloxi... WVMI-AM... 570
Carthage... WSSI-FM... 98.3
Cleveland... WMJW-FM... 107.5
Columbia... WCJU-FM... 104.9
Columbus... WSMS-FM... 99.9
French Camp... WFCA-FM... 107.9
Greenville... WDMS-FM... 100.7
Hattiesburg... WKNZ-FM... 107.1
Hernando... WVIM-FM... 95.3
Houston... WCPC-AM... 940
Indianola... WTCD-FM... 96.9
Iuka... WFXO-FM... 104.9
Jackson... WFMN-FM... 97.3
Louisville... WLSM-FM... 107.1
Lucedale... WRBE-FM... 106.9
McComb... WAKH-FM... 105.7
Meridian... WMOX-AM... 1010
Picayune... WRJW-AM... 1320
Ripley... WKZU-FM... 102.3
Tupelo... WKMQ-AM... 1060
Vicksburg... WQBC-AM... 1420
West Point... WROB-AM... 1450
West Point... WKBB-FM... 100.9
Winona... WONA-AM/FM... 1570/95.1
Yazoo City... WMGO-FM... 93.1

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

LEXINGTON, Ky. ญญ Mississippi State begins Southeastern Conference play at Kentucky on Thursday, Jan. 3, at 7 p.m. Although UK (7-5) leads the series 13-7, the Lady Bulldogs (9-4) have won four straight against the Wildcats including two in Lexington.

Two-time all-American LaToya Thomas continues to lead the team and the league in scoring with 22.5 points per game. She leads the Lady Bulldogs in rebounding as well, grabbing 9.6 per outing.

Freshman standout Tan White is averaging 18.7 points per contest which ranks fourth in the SEC. She leads the team in assists (43), steals (36), blocks (20) and three-pointers (20), while averaging 6.7 boards per game.

MSU is averaging 81.2 points while allowing 69.5 points per game. The Lady Bulldogs are shooting 47 percent from the field, 74 percent from the stripe and 40 percent from behind the arc.

State had won five games before dropping two in Cincinnati to Xavier (74-72) and UC (74-57). The Lady Bulldogs took a 10-2 record into the conference season a year ago and finished the year at 17-14 with a bid to the WNIT.

Mississippi State is 5-14 in SEC openers with the last win coming at home against Vanderbilt (89-51) on Dec. 6, 1998. MSU finished the '98-99 season with a 7-7 league mark and its first bid to the NCAA Tournament. State's last SEC opening win on the road was at Florida (74-58) on Dec. 18, 1991.

After playing five games on the road, the Lady Bulldogs return to Starkville for a three-game homestand beginning with South Carolina at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 6. MSU games can be heard on WFCA 107.9 FM with Bart Gregory calling the action.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Media Relations Department

01/01/02

LADY BULLDOGS FALL, 74-72, IN FINAL SECONDS TO XAVIER

CINCINNATI, Ohio ญญ The Lady Bulldogs, who were down three points at halftime, held a seven-point lead with under a minute remaining but still couldn't stop the Musketeers. Mississippi State (9-4) outshot and outrebounded Xavier (5-7) but still ended up with its second straight loss in the Queen City.

"Down the stretch, you have to make free throws, make layups and use the clock," said head coach Sharon Fanning. "It was a lot of little things in the end that got us. We put ourselves in the position to win the game. We just didn't finish."

Junior all-American LaToya Thomas led the Lady Bulldogs with 22 points and nine rebounds. MSU's lone senior Jennifer Fambrough was close behind with 19 points and eight rebounds. Freshman standout Tan White was third with 18 points and seven rebounds.

Junior Keisha Stringfellow had just two points, but they were two free throws down the stretch that helped keep MSU in the game. She led the team in assists with five and blocks with two.

Freshman Ebonie Ferguson made her first collegiate start in the Maroon and White as junior transfer Renae Jones again sat out due to a sprained ankle. Ferguson played 29 minutes, scored four points, grabbed five rebounds and had two assists.

With 56 seconds remaining, State was ahead 70-63 after Stringfellow sunk two from the line. Reeta Piipari hit a three-pointer for Xavier with 49 seconds on the clock and two seconds later Ferguson was at the line for MSU.

After Ferguson made one-of-two from the charity stripe, Shavon Bell hit a bucket from long range for the Musketeers, this time with 39 seconds left. Piipari fouled Fambrough, who in turn hit just one-of-two from the line.

It was Piipari who would hit Xavier's final three-pointer that tied the game at 72-72 with 29 seconds on the clock. State would then miss a shot and foul Amy Waugh, who hit both free throws with four seconds remaining to seal the victory for Xavier.

State shot 44 percent from the field, but only 27 percent from long range and 60 percent from the charity stripe. Xavier shot 42 percent from the field and only 30 percent from behind the arc, but managed 85 percent from the free-throw line.

Cincinnati was led by Piipari with 28 points, including seven three-pointers. Also in double digits for the Musketeers were Shavon Bell (17), Alexis Henderson (12) and Aida Sarajlija (10).

The Lady Bulldogs hit the road again and start Southeastern Conference action when they face Kentucky on Thursday, Jan. 3, at 7 p.m. EST. MSU's games can be heard on WFCA 107.9 FM with Bart Gregory calling the action.