November 2002 MSU Basketball Skuttle-Butt

11/22/02
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Tabbed with their highest preseason national ranking since the school's 1995-96 Final Four campaign, the 12th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs tip off their season-opening, six-game homestand - their longest season-opening homestand since the 1944-45 season - by playing host to the Ragin' Cajuns of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Saturday evening on the MSU campus. Game time is set for 6 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum, following State's 1:30 p.m. home football contest against Arkansas.

Ranked tied for 12th in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll and 13th nationally in the ESPN/USA Today preseason coaches' poll, coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs completed their preseason sweep of exhibition competition by claiming a 93-72 home triumph over the Harlem Globetrotters on Nov. 14. Prior to that 21-point victory, MSU posted an 80-56 preseason win over the Branch West Basketball Academy of California on Nov. 9.

As a team this preseason, Mississippi State maintained a +22.5 scoring margin, including a commanding 101-59 second-half scoring differential, and a +12.0 rebounding margin during exhibition action. The Bulldogs shot a collective 48 percent from the field, 35 percent from beyond the three-point arc and 79 percent from the free-throw line. Defensively, MSU limited the preseason opposition to just 36 percent collective field-goal shooting and only 64.0 points per exhibition contest.

Individually during the preseason, junior guard Timmy Bowers paced all Bulldog scorers with 18.0 points per exhibition outing on 14-of-30 shooting overall and 6-of-12 accuracy from behind the arc. Sophomore center Marcus Campbell registered double-doubles in both exhibition contests, averaging 17.5 points on 15-of-22 (68%) field-goal shooting as well as 10.0 rebounds per game. Derrick Zimmerman (11.5 ppg), Ontario Harper (11.5) and Winsome Frazier (10.0) also scored in double figures during the preseason.

Guided by sixth-year head coach Jessie Evans, Louisiana-Lafayette registered exhibition wins over Arkansas Tech (95-74) and Sport Tours (111-86) this preseason. A year ago, the Ragin' Cajuns were 20-11 overall and 11-4 in Sun Belt Conference play en route to claiming the league's West Division title and advancing to the NIT. Picked this preseason by the league's coaches to repeat as West champions, UL Lafayette is expected to be paced by senior swingman Anthony Johnson, who averaged a team-leading 14.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest as an all-Sun Belt Conference performer a season ago.

Dating back to the 1961-62 season, MSU owns an 11-3 all-time series lead over Louisiana-Lafayette, including last year's 79-71 State road victory over the Ragin' Cajuns to mark their lone home setback of 2001-02. With a 4-0 mark against UL Lafayette in games played in Starkville through the years, the Bulldogs recorded a 96-75 home triumph over the Cajuns during the 1975-76 campaign in the most recent Starkville meeting between the two teams.

Source: MSU Media Relations

11/18/02
Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Senior All-American LaToya Thomas scored a Preseason WNIT record of 42 points in No. 24 Mississippi State's 92-66 win over Tulsa in the second-round of the WNIT Sunday afternoon at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville.

"Toya has shown a lot of maturity," said head coach Sharon Fanning. "She did a great job as far as getting the ball to the rim and I hope she can teach these younger players how to get there as well."

Thomas recorded her first double-double of the season by halftime. The Greenville, Miss. product had 19 points and 10 boards at the break. She was 20-30 from the field. The 20 field goals are another Preseason WNIT record and also a career-high. Thomas was six points shy of tying her career-high for points.

"I think it (the preseason WNIT) is our chance to make a statement in the NCAA," said Thomas. "I knew after I hit my first three jump shots that I was going to have a good day."

The Lady Bulldogs went on a 22-2 run in the first half to open the game up. MSU led by as many as 19 points in the first 20 minutes. State took a 15-point lead at the intermission at 45-30. They opened that lead up in the second half to as many as 24 points at the 13:39 mark of the second half.

Sophomore guard Tan White also scored in double figures for the Lady Bulldogs. The Tupelo, Miss. native finished with 20 points. Oklahoma-native Rebecca Kates finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Mamie McKinney registered 10 rebounds in her 18 minutes of play.

State had the hot shooting hand this afternoon, shooting 55 percent from the field. They also out-rebounded the Gold and Blue 48-26.

Tulsa was led by Allison Curtin with 21 points, while Alyssa Shriver added 13 points.

The Lady Bulldogs will travel to University Park, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Nov. 20 to take on the 14th-ranked Penn State Lady Lions in the semifinals of the WNIT. Tip off time for the game is to be announced later.

Source: MSU Media Relations

11/17/02
Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- No. 24 Mississippi State women's basketball hosts Tulsa on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the second round of the WNIT. The Lady Bulldogs defeated South Alabama, 87-61 to advance and the Golden Hurricane defeated Southwest Missouri State 81-80 to travel to Starkville.

The winner of the Mississippi State/Tulsa game will play the winner of No. 14 Penn State/Siena game that is slated to start 2 p.m. (ET) in University Park, Pa.

This will be MSU's first meeting with Tulsa. The Lady Bulldogs are 4-0 against Western Athletic Conference.

Mississippi State used an 18-2 run to close out an 87-61 win in the first round of the Women's NIT over South Alabama. With 8:15 to go in the game, State's Blessing Chekwa, making her first collegiate start, hit a jumper to give MSU a 70-54 lead.

"We picked up the defensive intensity in the second half," said head coach Sharon Fanning. "We wanted to keep them under 40 percent."

Mississippi State took its largest lead of the game of 30 points with 1:55 left to go on a jumper by LaToya Thomas. State used several runs in the game to help knock off the Jaguars in the first round.

State went on an early 25-7 run with 8:55 left to go in the first half to open up an early lead and never looked back. The Lady Bulldogs took a 13-point lead in at the half, 45-32, off of 12-second chance points in the opening stanza.

Mississippi State is now 26-3 in home openers and 18-11 in season openers. Senior guard Renea Jones recorded a career-high of 14 points. Freshman Mamie McKinney had key contributions recording six rebounds in her first look in the Maroon and White.

LaToya Thomas led all scores with 26 points and Tan White recorded a double-double, adding 23 points and led the team with 10 rebounds.

Mississippi State will host the Tulsa Golden Hurricane Sunday at 2 p.m. in the second round of the WNIT at Humphrey Coliseum. Tulsa knocked off Southwest Missouri State 81-80 to advance.

Source: MSU Media Relations

11/16/02
Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Gary Ervin, one of the nation's top point guard prospects from the Northeast prep school ranks, has signed a national letter-of-intent with Mississippi State University, as announced Friday by MSU head basketball coach Rick Stansbury.

Ervin, a 5-11, 175-pound playmaker currently starring for coach Bill Barton at Notre Dame Prep School in Fitchburg, Mass., as a post-graduate player, averaged 30 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds per game a year ago as a senior at Paul Robeson High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Brooklyn native earned 2001-02 New York City Player of the Year honors after leading coach Larry Major's Robeson Eagles to a second consecutive appearance in the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) championship game.

During postseason tournament competition this past year, Ervin enjoyed scoring outings of 56 points against Carnarsie High School and 52 points versus Boys & Girls High School. Ranked as high as 30th nationally overall and third among all point guard prospects on ESPN.com's Top 100 list of the Class of 2003, Ervin earned several all-tournament and tournament MVP honors this past summer while starring for the prestigious Riverside Church squad on the national AAU circuit.

As a junior, Ervin collected first-team all-city laurels after averaging 16 points, nine assists and nine rebounds per contest in pacing Robeson High School to its first of two straight berths in New York City's PSAL finals.

With all seats reserved at $12 apiece, tickets may be purchased through the MSU Athletic Ticket Office (1-888-GO-DAWGS or 662-325-2600) and the Mississippi Coliseum Box Office (601-355-5252) as well as through all TicketMaster outlets. Tickets may also be ordered online at www.mstateathletics.com.

Coach Rick Stansbury's 12th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs ­ defending SEC Tournament champions ­ begin their 91st season of collegiate basketball competition with a six-game homestand by first playing host to Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, Nov. 23. Tip-off for MSUšs season opener is set for 6 p.m.

Guided by the legendary head coach Charles "Lefty" Driesell, the Georgia State Panthers of the Atlantic Sun Conference begin the 2002-03 campaign in quest of their fourth consecutive regular-season conference title and third straight 20-win season. With three returning starters, GSU is expected to be led by all-league standouts Lamont McIntosh and Nate Williams.

The Bulldogs most recently played at the 6,812-seat Mississippi Coliseum in their 1998-99 season opener (Nov. 17, 1998), when they claimed a 105-53 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Stansbury's Mississippi State head coaching debut.

Source: MSU Media Relations

11/04/02
Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Preseason Naismith candidate senior LaToya Thomas and preseason all-SEC second team candidate sophomore Tan White paced the Lady Bulldogs with 29 and 16 points respectively in Sunday's intrasquad scrimmage at the Humphrey Coliseum.

Thomas, the three-time Kodak All-American, pulled down a team-high 13 rebounds. White dished out five assists and seven steals on the day.

There were four mini scrimmages of 10 minutes each with rotating rosters. Several newcomers were in the spotlight this afternoon. Freshman Doceide Warren and junior Faithe McGhee saw action at point and off guards. McGhee tallied 11 points, including three-of-four from the free throw line, along with five assists. Warren posted 10 points, four rebounds and three assists, rounding out the Lady Bulldogs in double digits.

Freshman Mamie McKinney looked strong underneath, pulling down 12 rebounds of her own behind Thomas' 13. Freshman Chalandra Hilliard of Biloxi, Miss., contributed eight points, six rebounds in 21 minutes.

Overall the team shot roughly 60-percent from the field in 40 minutes.

The scrimmage was a warm-up for the upcoming exhibition games the Lady Bulldogs are hosting. MSU will play the Houston Jaguars on Friday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. and the Basketball Travelers on Monday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m.

Source: MSU Media Relations

11/01/02
Men's Basketball
MSU's men's basketball team has received a preseason ranking of 13th in the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 College Basketball Coaches' Poll, their highest preseason ranking since being ranked 9th by AP at the start of the 1995-96 season. A couple of teams on MSU's pre-SEC schedule are also ranked in the top 25, Oklahoma (3rd) and Xavier (11th).

For the complete poll, click here.

Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Tickets are now on sale for the preseason WNIT first round game Nov. 15 vs. South Alabama at 7 p.m. The prices are $8 for adults, $4 for kids 12 and under and $4 for MSU students with valid identification. There will be all general admission seating. The ticket office is located on the campus of Mississippi State in the Bryan Athletic Administrative Building off of Lakeview Drive.

Tickets will be on sale up until 5 p.m. the day of the game. Doors to the Humphrey Coliseum will open at 5:30 p.m. for the public.

MSU leads the series versus South Alabama 6-5. The Lady Bulldogs last faced the Jaguars during the 1998-99 season, defeating them in Starkville, 69-64. South Alabama won the last WNIT meeting in 1988, 73-51, at Amarillo, Texas.

Source: MSU Media Relations