| 1996 | Oct | Nov | Dec | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 1998 | Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 1999 | Jan | Feb | March | April | May | June | July | Aug | Sep | Oct |
11/30/99 Don't forget, the women's basketball team plays Memphis tonight at the Hump. Game time is 7:00. BTW, MSU is now ranked 26th in the AP poll.
11/29/99 - If you are interested in seeing MSU signee Mario Austin (Sumter County HS) play, his team plays at Selma, Alabama this Tuesday night and at home this Friday night.
11/29/99 -
ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- Tang Hamilton scored 19 points, including 11 in the second half, as Mississippi State defeated Northwestern 70-65 Sunday afternoon at the Hoop and Quill Classic.
Marckell Patterson added 12 points while grabbing nine rebounds for MSU (3-2). Antonio Jackson, the Bulldogs leading scorer, scored 10 points, all in the second half.
The Wildcats placed three scorers in double digits. Ben Johnson led the way with 17 while Tavaras Hardy and Steve Lepore netted 16 and 13, respectively.
Northwestern jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the opening minutes, and MSU took its first lead at 11-10 on a Hamilton 3-pointer five minutes into the game. The Bulldogs increased their lead to five points twice in the first half, before trailing 34-33 at halftime.
State took the lead for good with a Tyrus Boswell field goal with 8:57 remaining that made the score 52-50.
"I thought we played with more poise in the second half," MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said. "We were able to complete some plays both offensively and defensively."
"You hope to gain experience in these tournaments," Stansbury added. "We understand now where we are at, and what we have to do to get where we want to be."
The Bulldogs will return home for a four-game stint at Humphrey Coliseum, beginning Wednesday with a 7 p.m. contest against Southeastern Louisiana.
Source: MSU Sports Media Department
11/27/99 - Click here to read the official MSU recap of yesterday's basketball game.
11/25/99
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Cynthia Hall's career-high 28 points led four players in double figures, as the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs cruised to a 96-50 victory over Alabama A&M in women's basketball action Wednesday night at Humphrey Coliseum.
Hall also set a new school-record on the evening with seven three-pointers, as the Lady Bulldogs were 13-of-26 from behind the arc for the game. Hall was 9-of-16 from the field in the contest, including 7-of-12 from three-point range.
MSU head coach Sharon Fanning was pleased with her team's efforts, especially after Monday's emotional win over second-ranked Louisiana Tech.
"It was a good game as far as following the (Louisiana) Tech game, because you never know how you will come out mentally," Fanning said. "I was pleased with the balanced scoring and we got to play a lot of combinations, and that was very important for us.
"I feel like we are getting to know each other better. When we penetrated in the first half, we got some layups and that was a big key."
Freshman LaToya Thomas added 18 for MSU to go with nine rebounds, while Nitra Perry had 14 points and a game-high 11 boards. Angela Harris provided 10 for the Lady Bulldogs, who shot 57 percent from the field for the contest.
State used a 35-5 run in the middle of the first half to open their biggest lead of the half at 41-12. Alabama A&M's Lanora Brooks made a short jumper to give her squad a 7-6 advantage with 16:22 to play in the half.
The Lady Bulldogs then made five consecutive three-point attempts, including a pair from Hall off the bench, to open a 23-10 lead. Hall finished the MSU run with her third trifecta of the half to give State their 29-point advantage with 6:01 remaining before halftime.
The Lady Bulldogs held a 45-23 lead at halftime despite not having a player in double figures. Hall led the Lady Bulldogs before the break with her nine points off the bench, with Thomas adding eight and Perry seven. MSU dished out 14 assists in the opening 20 minutes of play while committing just seven turnovers.
The State defense forced Alabama A&M into 23 turnovers during the game, as 15 players saw action with 11 scoring for MSU. The Lady Bulldogs continue their current homestand Nov. 30 when they host the Tigers of Memphis at 7 p.m.
Source: MSU Sports Media Relations Department
11/25/99 - The Dallas Morning News had a small article on our Lady Bulldogs upset of Number 2 ranked Louisiana Tech. Click here to read the article.....
11/24/99
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Antonio Jackson's career-high 21 points led a quartet of Mississippi State (2-0) players in double figures as the Bulldogs used size and speed to physically overmatch visiting Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-2), 107-67, Tuesday night in Humphrey Coliseum.
The point total marked the largest for Mississippi State since the fourth-game of the 1995-1996 Final Four season when the Bulldogs defeated Troy State 123-73 in Starkville. The 40-point margin of victory was also the largest for Mississippi State since a 52-point victory over Pine Bluff in the 1998-1999 season opener.
Tang Hamilton and Robert Jackson each scored 14 points and both missed a double-double with nine rebounds apiece. Forward Marckell Patterson scored 17 of his career-high 19 points in the first half, while Mississippi State captain Todd Myles recorded a career-high 10 assists to go along with his six points.
"I saw some improvement in several areas," said Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury. "The thing that we were looking for tonight, as much as anything, was for us to do the things that we do best. We knew what to expect with Pine Bluff. We weren't so concerned about that. We were concerned with our team getting better."
Mississippi State took a 27-point lead out of the halftime break and, on the strength of a 16-4 run midway through the first half, built its lead to 44, 93-49, with more than four minutes remaining in the contest. After the Bulldogs emptied most of their bench with less than three minutes remaining, Arkansas-Pine Bluff staged a desperation comeback, cutting the deficit to 39 on a Derio Gipson lay-up with 33 ticks left, but Mississippi State's defense shut the door and cruised to its second victory of the season.
Although challenging the home-standing Bulldogs for the first 1:46 of play, the Golden Lions took its only lead of the contest with some help from the hosts. After Jeremy Jefferson hit a jumper and connected on an ensuing shot from the charity stripe to give the visitors a 3-0 lead at the 18:14 mark, Tang Hamilton was whistled for a technical after hanging on the rim, giving the visitors a chance for a four-point play. However, Jefferson missed the back end of the two shots from the charity stripe and Mississippi State forced a turnover to negate the Pine Bluff advantage.
Following the momentum swing, Patterson scored six points in a 18-4 run that gave Mississippi State a 20-8 lead at the 12:10 mark of the first stanza. After Quentin Smith provided most of the Mississippi State offense in the next four minutes, Patterson hit a three at the 7:43 mark that gave him a career-high point total.
The Bulldogs continued to pressure the Arkansas-Pine Bluff offense for much of the remainder of the first half, before Myles' lay-up at the 2:38 mark gave Mississippi State its largest lead of the first half, 49-21.
"We were obviously out-manned tonight," said Pine Bluff head coach Harold Blevins. "They are obviously a good-shooting team. Antonio Jackson is as good a shooter as we have seen."
Source: MSU Sports Media Relations Department
11/24/99 - The, hopefully, soon to be ranked Lady Bulldogs play Alabama A&M tonight at 7 p.m. in the Hump. If you can, come on out and show your support for our young up and coming basketball team.
11/23/99 (10:00 a.m.) - Pics from last night's victory over #2 ranked Louisiana Tech:
11/23/99 - MSU defeated 2nd ranked Louisiana Tech 74 to 72 last night. Click here to read more.....
Game comments:
Double digit scorers were...
Freshman LaToya Thomas - 16 pts. (2nd in rebs with 9)
Junior Cynthia Hall - 14 pts.
Sophomore Jennifer Fambrough - 12 pts.
Senior Angela Harris - 12 pts. (led team in assists with 8)
MSU's two victories were earned against two teams that were NCAA regional participants last year.
The 1,760 in attendance last night was the second largest crowd to ever attend an MSU women's game.
11/22/99 - Tonight's game is one of the biggest in MSU women's basketball history. La. Tech, one of the perennial powerhouses in women's basketball, visits MSU. Please attend the game tonight. This is a big, big game and a crowd in the thousands is needed to help our ladies' team win this important game.
11/22/99 - MSU defeated Alabama A&M 89-67. After leading the by five at the end of the first half, MSU came out and outscored A&M 49 to 32 in the second half. MSU was led in scoring by junior Tang Hamilton's 17 points (also 9 rebounds). Other double digits scorers were sophomore Marckell Patterson (12 pts), junior Quentin Smith (14 pts, 12 rebs) and freshman Derrick Zimmerman (14 pts).
Newcomer Antonio Jackson led the Bulldogs in assists with 5 (also had 9 pts and 6 rebs). Senior Todd Myles was second with 4.
Sophomore Robert Jackson did not play yesterday due to a minor injury. He is expected to be out for tomorrow night's game also.
11/19/99 - Don't forget, MSU signee Mario Austin (Sumter County HS) plays at Eutaw, Alabama tonight. Also, Darius Rice (Lanier HS), a player MSU would love to sign during the spring, will be playing at Callaway HS (Jackson, MS.) tonight. If you live in the area and have the time, head on out and watch these two outstanding youngsters play.
11/19/99 (10:33 a.m.)
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- TeleSouth Communications, radio rights holder for the Mississippi State University athletic program, has released the Bulldogs' 1999-2000 men's basketball radio network affiliates' list.
Based in Jackson, Miss., TeleSouth Communications reported a list of 23 affiliates state-wide and into Memphis that will carry the Bulldogs this coming basketball season. This year's schedule begins with Sunday's 2 p.m. season opener against Alabama A&M at MSU's Humphrey Coliseum.
Throughout MSU's 1999-2000 sports season, WFCA-FM (107.9), a 100,000-watt station located in French Camp, Miss., will serve as the flagship station for the Bulldog radio network. The station, which blankets most of the north central portion of the state, will air every Bulldog basketball game this season. In addition to airing all MSU football games this fall, WFCA is also slated to carry a substantial women's basketball schedule this season as well as the entire 2000 Mississippi State baseball slate.
With the veteran broadcasting tandem of Jack Cristil and Jim Ellis set to begin their 43rd and 21st years, respectively, behind the microphones, each Mississippi State basketball broadcast will begin with a 30-minute pregame show and conclude with a postgame segment featuring MSU's second-year head basketball coach Rick Stansbury.
1999-2000 MSU BASKETBALL RADIO NETWORK AFFILIATES
Biloxi...WVMI-AM... 570
Booneville... WBIP-AM... 1400
Carthage... WSSI-FM... 98.3
Cleveland... WMJW-FM... 107.5
Columbia... WFFF-AM... 1360
Columbus... WMBC-FM... 103.1
French Camp... WFCA-FM... 107.9
Greenville... WDMS-FM... 100.7
Hattiesburg... WKNZ-FM... 101.7
Houston... WCPC-AM... 940
Indianola... WTCD-FM... 96.9
Jackson... WSLI-AM... 930
Louisville... WLSM-FM... 107.1
McComb... WAKH-FM... 105.7
Memphis... WTCK-AM... 1030
Meridian... WMOX-AM... 1010
Philadelphia... WWSL-FM... 102.3
Picayune... WRJW-AM... 1320
Tupelo... WNRX-AM... 1060
Vicksburg... WQBC-AM... 1420
West Point... WKBB-FM... 100.9
Wiggins... WIGG-AM... 1420
Winona... WONA-FM... 95.1
Source: MSU Media Relations
11/19/99
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Comcast Sports Southeast, a 24-hour, regional sports network based in Atlanta, will televise three upcoming Mississippi State men's basketball home games beginning with Sunday's 1999-2000 regular-season opener against Alabama A&M. The announcement was made Thursday by MSU Director of Athletics Larry Templeton.
Having made its debut this past September as a basic cable channel available in approximately 1 million homes across the Southeast, CSS is also slated to televise the Bulldogs' Dec. 7 home basketball game versus South Carolina State and their Dec. 11 home contest against Centenary College. For airing purposes, the tip-off time for the MSU-Centenary game has been pushed back one hour to 3 p.m.
The Mississippi markets included in CSS's coverage area include Tupelo, Corinth, Meridian and Hattiesburg. With a regional coverage area extending from the Florida panhandle north to Kentucky, as well as from South Carolina west to Arkansas, major markets outside the Magnolia State include Atlanta, Savannah and Augusta in Georgia; Huntsville and Mobile in Alabama; Knoxville and Chattanooga in Tennessee; Charleston, S.C.; Panama City, Fla.; Little Rock, Ark.; and central Kentucky.
Veteran Mississippi State broadcaster Jim Ellis, general manager of Bulldog Sports Network, will handle the play-by-play duties for the upcoming basketball telecasts on CSS. Retired MSU basketball coach Richard Williams, the school's all-time winningest hoops mentor, will join Ellis on the telecasts as color analyst.
Source: MSU Media Relations
11/17/99 - I, along with several other Bulldog fans, attended the Lanier HS / Indianola Gentry game last night. Lanier's Darius Rice (27 pts) and James Thomas (30 pts) put on a show for those in attendance. Darius, who according to my sources will now wait until the spring to sign a scholarship, was 8 of 18 (3 of 8 from 3-pt range) shooting the ball and 8 of 8 from the free throw line per my unofficial score keeping.
I have watched Darius play three times now. I knew he could shoot from the outside with deadly accuracy. What I saw last night was a first for me. Darius showed a great inside game with offensive putbacks, reverse layups and a couple of other acrobatic shots I don't know how to describe. Suffice it to say, he is definitely developing an inside game to go along with his great outside game.
5-9 point guard James Thomas also impressed me. James not only shoots from the outside very, very well, but he also shows great quickness to the hoop. His quickness is without question SEC caliber.
For those of you would like to see Darius and James play, their next game is at Callaway HS in Jackson, MS. this Friday night. If you would like to see MSU signee Mario Austin (Sumter County HS, in York, Alabama) play, his next game is at Eutaw, Alabama, Friday night (girl's game starts at 5:30). His team also plays at home Saturday night (same game time).
11/16/99 - Premium site tidbit: Here is an excerpt from the interview that Kevin Henderson did with MSU basketball signee Mario Austin Sunday night at 9:32 p.m.
The reasons he gave for ultimately signing with MSU were as follows (they are in no particular order):
11/15/99 (4:00 p.m.) - For those of you who would like to see Lanier HS's Darius Rice play Tuesday night, the Holiday Inn in Indianola has a special Basketball Game rate of $50 for Tuesday night (normal cost is $64-69 per night). To get this rate call Sunshine at 662-887-7477 tomorrow between 7:00 am and 3:00 pm.
I don't know how good Gentry is this year but they have been the state 5A runner ups several times in the 90's and they produced MSU's Tyrone Washington and several other division 1A players.
11/15/99 - Darius Rice Update: According to The Clarion-Ledger (print edition), Lanier HS (Darius' team) will play at Indianola Gentry this Tuesday night. Lanier also plays at Callaway HS in Jackson this Friday night. If at all possible, please attend one or more of these games.
If you haven't seen Darius Rice play, you are in for a treat. It's not often that you see a 6-9 basketball player who shoots like former MSU Bulldog basketball player Darryl Wilson.
11/14/99
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- CBC Siroki shot 55 percent from the field en route to a 69-60 victory over Mississippi State Saturday night to snap the Bulldogs' 12-game exhibition winning streak.
The Croatian basketball club, now 1-4 on its 10-day, six-game exhibition tour of the United States, led the entire contest to pick up the nine-point victory. Trailing by 18 points (42-24) at the intermission, the Bulldogs did cut their deficit to five points (61-56) with just over a minute remaining. However, Edl Vulic and Walsh Jordan combined to connect on 10 consecutive free throws down the stretch to seal the win for the visitors from Croatia.
Jordan, a native of Dallas who played the 1993-94 season at the University of Mississippi, paced all scorers with 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. He also added seven rebounds, four steals and three assists while playing the entire 40 minutes for the Croatians. Krunoslav Rados and Zlatko Bacurin had 14 and 13 points, respectively, for the winners on a combined 11-of-13 accuracy from the field.
For the contest as a team, CBC Siroki hit 40 percent (8-of-20) of their three-point field goals and 88 percent (15-of-17) from the line, in addition to connecting on 23-of-42 shots from the field.
The Bulldogs, whose exhibition winning streak had extended back to the 1993-94 campaign, shot 40 percent from the field for the game, including but 5-of-21 (24%) from beyond the arc. MSU, who finished preseason action with a 1-1 exhibition mark including last Saturday's 65-50 win over the Arkansas Express, was led by Tang Hamilton's 20 points versus the Croatians. Antonio Jackson came off the State bench to score 13 points, while Robert Jackson added eight points and a game-high eight rebounds.
Coach Rick Stansbury's 1999-2000 Bulldog edition begins regular-season competition next Sunday afternoon (Nov. 21) with a home contest against Alabama A&M. Tip-off at MSU's Humphrey Coliseum is set for 2 p.m.
Source: MSU Media Relations
My Personal Info or Comments:
11/12/99 (1:20 p.m.)
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- To avoid a direct conflict with the Bulldogs' nationally televised (ESPN2) football contest against Arkansas on Nov. 20, the Mississippi State men's basketball regular-season opener against Alabama A&M has been moved back one day to Sunday, Nov. 21. The announcement was made Thursday by MSU Director of Athletics Larry Templeton.
Tip-off for the Bulldogs' 1999-2000 basketball season opener versus Alabama A&M is now set for 2 p.m. at MSU's Humphrey Coliseum. State will also play host to Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday, Nov. 23, before heading to St. Louis, Mo., for the USBWA Hoop and Quill Classic over the Thanksgiving holiday (Nov. 26-28).
In their second and final exhibition contest of the preseason, coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs will entertain BC Siroki this Saturday night on the MSU campus. Tip-off at Humphrey Coliseum is set for 7 p.m., and there will be no charge for admission.
Source: MSU Media Relations
11/12/99 (12:10 p.m.)
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State used a dominating first half against the Australian Riverland Raiders to win their second and final exhibition tune-up of the season by a score of 92-50.
Using a smothering defense and benefiting from 11 Raider turnovers, Mississippi State was able to take a 28-11 lead in the first 12 minutes of the game and never looked back. The Bulldogs dominated the boards in the first half grabbing 31 rebounds to the Raiders 16 to take a 47-21 lead at the break. State's defense also held Riverland to a low .259 shooting percentage. The inside game was also working well for Coach Sharon Fanning's squad with 30 of the 47 points come from post players Nitra Perry (10), Jennifer Fambrough (10) and LaToya Thomas (10).
“I’m pleased with the win, but I felt that defensively we didn’t do the job we needed to do and the assist to turnover ratio is not what we need,” said Fanning.
MSU picked up the second half where they left off the first and finished the night dominating the glass with 54 rebounds to the Raiders 30. Freshman LaToya Thomas led the Bulldogs scoring 24 points and hauling in 11 rebounds. For the second consecutive game all five starters finished in double figures in the point column. Senior guard Angela Harris scored 20, while senior forward Nitra Perry and sophomore forward Jennifer Fambrough each added 14 for State.
Leading the way for the Riverland Raiders were Deanne Burrows with 13 points and former Arkansas Lady 'Back Carrie Satterfield with 11.
Mississippi State will travel to New Orleans for a game against the Privateers before returning to Humphrey Coliseum to play the sixth-ranked Louisiana Tech Lady Bulldogs on Monday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m.
Source: MSU Media Relations Department
11/12/99 - Playing before a large and very noisy home crowd, Lanier HS, behind the scoring of their two outstanding seniors Darius Rice and James Thomas, defeated Greenville HS 90 to 58. Playing fairly even in the first half, Lanier put it away in the third quarter with some high octane pressure defense and clutch shooting by Darius and James. Darius Rice scored 37 points and James Thomas scored 32. Darius made 15 of 26 field goals, including 4 three-pointers and 4 big-time dunks. He also made 3 free throws.
After traveling a total of 322 miles roundtrip to attend the game last night, I have to say it was definitely worth it to see Darius play. It was also fun to see and hear the crowd really get into the game. Lanier HS has the kind of crowd a team feeds off of. I hope to see more of you the next time I go to one of their games in the very near future. BTW, there were about 20 MSU supporters at the game.
As far as I can tell, Darius is not going to make any kind of official announcement at any press conference today. But I will say this, Darius, without a doubt, would be a huge addition to MSU's team. The youngster can shoot the lights out. While he was good last year, he has stepped his game up another notch this year. Folks, you just don't find 6-9 basketball players who can shoot the ball as well as he can. I now see why he is considered one of the Top-25 to 30 players in the country.
11/11/99 - Lanier HS's Darius Rice, a player MSU would love to sign, will be playing tonight against Greenville HS at Lanier HS starting at 7:30 p.m. Please try and make it if you can. And don't forget to wear your maroon and white.
11/10/99 (11:50 a.m.) - Once again, with the official announcement of signing Sumter County High School's (York, Ala.) Mario Austin, Coach Rick Stansbury and his staff have proven what a lot of extremely hard work will do.
Mario, the top center prospect in high school, is considered by some as a player who may not qualify academically, however, my sources say that will very likely not be the case and that he will qualify.
My sources told me a while back that Mario would be a Bulldog even though there was pressure on Mario from some non-family types to sign with Alabama. These same sources also told me that Mario is not in as difficult a situation academically as some would lead to you to believe. Maybe my sources will turn out to be incorrect but they were right about him signing with MSU, so you have to give them the benefit of the doubt until they are proven wrong.
BTW, MSU is still very much in the hunt for one other top-25 caliber player in Lanier HS (Jackson, MS.) forward Darius Rice. Darius, who is also considered by most as the top player in the state of Mississippi, may wait until the spring to sign. If you would like to see Darius in action, his team will be playing this Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. at home against Greenville HS. Don't forgot to wear your maroon and white.
Here is a copy of the official MSU press release
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Considered by many recruiting analysts to be the nation's top-rated senior center among this year's list of basketball prospects, Mario Austin of Sumter County High School in York, Ala., has signed a national letter of intent to attend Mississippi State University. The announcement was made Wednesday by MSU head basketball coach Rick Stansbury.
Austin, 6-foot-9, 260 pounds, averaged 17 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots per game a year ago as a junior in leading coach Johnny Patrick's SCHS Wildcats to a second consecutive Alabama Class 4A state championship title with a 31-2 record. A reigning member of the "Alabama Super 5" squad and a 1998-99 USA Today Honorable Mention All-USA Team selection, Austin had 24 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in last year's state championship game victory over Lafayette. For his postseason tournament efforts, he was chosen MVP of the 1999 Alabama Class 4A Final Four.
"We're extremely proud to have Mario Austin join the Mississippi State family," Stansbury said. "He comes from an excellent high school program and was very well coached under Coach (Johnny) Patrick's guidance at Sumter County. Mario brings a lot of low-post ability to our basketball team."
Selected No. 6 among the nation's "Top 100 Rising Seniors - Class of 2000" by recruiting analyst Van Coleman of Future Stars, Austin was chosen to the 1999 AAU All-American First Team this past summer as a member of the Alabama Ice contingent in the AAU Jr. Boys 17-Under National Championships.
"My coaching staff worked extremely hard during this recruiting process, and special credit should go out to (MSU assistant coach) Robert Kirby for his efforts," Stansbury added.
The NCAA's week-long early signing period runs through next Wednesday, Nov. 17.
11/10/99 - MSU recruit Darius Rice plays his next game this Thursday night at Lanier HS. If you get the chance, go out and watch him play. Make sure you wear maroon and white.
11/08/99 - What: Greater Jackson Bulldog Boosters Tip-Off Party.
11/07/99
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State Bulldogs stretched their exhibition winning streak to 12 consecutive games with a 65-50 homecourt victory over the Arkansas Express Saturday afternoon at MSU's Humphrey Coliseum.
After trailing by only three points (29-26) at halftime, the Arkansas Express' 10th and final three-pointer of the contest put the visitors up by a single point (46-45) with 7:12 remaining in the game. A much deeper Bulldog squad then reeled off 20 of the game's final 24 points to coast to the 15-point exhibition victory. The win marked MSU's seventh triumph in eight attempts versus the Express in a series dating back to the 1988-89 campaign.
"It was a learning experience, and that's what these games are about," second-year MSU head coach Rick Stansbury noted. "It's a good early first test for us, and we'll carry over this experience into our practices."
Hitting 56 percent from the field in the opening half, the Bulldogs rebounded from a six-point, first-half deficit by going on an 11-2 run to close the opening period with a three-point lead. Freddie Morgan of the Arkansas Express connected on 5-of-7 three-pointers to help stake the visitors to their early lead. Morgan finished the contest with a game-high 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Mike Coleman added a dozen points for the Express (0-1), who continue their six-game slate against NCAA Division I opponents with a Monday contest at Arkansas State.
For the winning Bulldogs, sophomore Robert Jackson led the way with 13 points on 6-of-7 field-goal shooting. As a team, MSU shot 53 percent from the field for the game and held a 36-20 rebounding advantage to offset the Express' 10-of-25 shooting from behind the three-point line.
Junior Tang Hamilton was the only other State player in double figures with 11 points and a game-high seven rebounds. Senior point guard Todd Myles added seven points and seven assists. Tyrus Boswell and Antonio Jackson had nine and eight points, respectively, off the MSU bench.
"This was a game to play a lot of people and get as many people playing time as we could," Stansbury added. "For the most part, I was pleased with our newcomers. I thought they came in and did a good job."
The Bulldogs will conclude their two-game exhibition slate next Saturday (Nov. 13) by taking on BC Siroki from the Croatian Union of Herzeg Bosnia. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum, and there will be no charge for admission. MSU will tip off the 1999-2000 regular season on Saturday, Nov. 20, against Alabama A&M.
Source: MSU Athletic Department Media Relations
11/06/99
STARKVILLE, Miss. - With five players in double figures, the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs defeated the Mississippi All-Stars 89-52.
Leading the way for coach Sharon Fanning's team were newcomer junior forward Myquita Mackey with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Bulldog junior guard Meadow Overstreet added 15 points with a five for eight performance from three-point land. Also scoring in double digits for MSU were freshman LaToya Thomas with 14, junior Cynthia Hall with 10, and sophomore Jennifer Fambrough with 10.
After leading 44-33 at the half, the Bulldogs were able to go on an eighteen to two run during the first six minutes of the second half to seal the victory. MSU was able to control the boards throughout the game and finished with a 59-49 advantage. The Lady Bulldogs dominated the game behind the three-point arch as well, making nine treys to the All-Stars two.
The Mississippi All-Stars were led by Sherlander Lewis with 12 points, while former Mississippi player, Tarsha Bethley added 13.
The Lady Bulldogs will continue exhibition action with a 7 p.m. tip-off on Thursday, Nov. 11, against the Riverland Raiders of Australia before their regular season-opener on Friday, Nov. 19, at New Orleans.
Source: MSU Athletic Department Media Relations
11/04/99 - MSU basketball games to be televised by Fox Sports Net South:
December 4th (Saturday): Western Kentucky at MSU (Men), 4 p.m.
December 21st (Tuesday): MSU (Men) vs Stanford, 8 p.m.
January 22nd (Saturday): MSU (Men) at Arkansas, 4 p.m.
February 26th (Saturday): MSU (Men) at LSU, 4 p.m.
December 9th (Tuesday): MSU (Women) at Georgia Tech, 6 p.m.
February 20th (Sunday): Florida at MSU (Women), 3 p.m.
11/03/99 - MSU Basketball Press Conference:
Question about last year's team almost making the NCAA Tournament.
Stansbury - I don't put any focus on that. The emphasize I put on is to work as hard as you possibly can work and be the best that you can be. The W's and L's will take care of itself.
We have a lot of youth on this team. There's so much that we have to learn. A lot of time when you have so much youth, it is a positive and negative. You can't give youth one thing and that is experience. That comes with time. But at the same time, youth brings a open eye, open ear willingness to learn and work a lot of times. I think when you have guys like that they are going to improve.
GS: Who do you feel will be your starters this year?
Stansbury - If I had to start today, I would go with my most experienced players. Does that mean that is my best team; I don't know that. It doesn't matter who starts it, I feel that this team has a lot of depth and a lot of players. I can start one lineup and insert someone who can change what you were doing.
Where will Michael Gholar play?
Stansbury - Mike will remain at small forward. I love his attitude and work ethic. Everything you could do in the off season to improve your game, he did it. By that I mean working on the individual things; the passing, ball handling, the shooting. And remember this, he only played seven or eight games last year. He is young and learning everyday. The thing Michael has to continue to get better at is the things that take place out there five on five; understanding and seeing things developing before it happens. That's something that you can't do during the summertime or by yourself. And, again, to his credit, everything you could do during the summertime he did. He is stronger, handling it better, shooting it better, he's much more confident. We just have to give him time to improve five on five.
Question about Antonio Jackson.
Stansbury - I have been as pleased with him as anybody out there. His transition as a new player has been minimal. He doesn't turn the basketball over, he plays very unselfish, he has a very high skill level and he has the ability to jump up and make shots. You have that ability, it overcomes a lot of things. He brings a very good temperament to the team. He doesn't get rattled up to this point. That may change when we go to other places. He's had a great attitude.
GS: Do you feel Antonio will be a consistent 3-point shooter for us?
Stansbury - I believe that. I believe he is a shooter. There is a difference going out there and doing it at 3:30 in the afternoon and doing it at 7 p.m. But I really believe he can because of his temperament. He is a guy that shoots it consistently everyday. He doesn't come in and have a good day then have a bad day. He is consistent everyday. He is a basketball player. He has a great court awareness about him, a presence. He sees things developing before a guy is open. You can't teach that. A lot of guys can see a guy get open once he gets open but most times that is too late. He has the presence to see them when they are about to get open. I am very, very impressed with what he has done at this point.
He can play one or two and has strengths at each one of them. He will be able to come in and take over for Todd Myles when needed.
How has Robert Jackson been doing?
Stansbury - Rob has been doing excellent. He has lost about 15 pounds, he's stronger and more athletic. The thing Rob has to learn to play more minutes with the same energy without getting into foul trouble. And, at the same time, become a better defensive player. I don't worry about Robert Jackson offensively. It doesn't always look pretty but he finds a way to get that basketball in the hole. Where he has to continue to improve is defensively. He is not a big, athletic shot-blocker, so he has to be better at positioning himself. Only experience and play time can cure some of those problems.
Question about the role that Tang Hamilton will have to play this year.
Stansbury - His role has to change for us. Last year, he was the third option behind Detrick and Tyrone. He probably worked harder than anybody on this team during the off-season. Like I tell our team, players are made from March to October. When you guys come to watch us play, that's not when players are made. Things that we stressed to him that I thought he had to improve was this: Last year he scored two way, he shot 3-pointers or he dunked in transition. That's the way he scored. He had to get himself an in-between game where he can score 14 to 18 feet out. He has an in-between game now and I think you will see a different Tang Hamilton this year.
How did the Japan trip with the other SEC all-stars help him?
Stansbury - Those trips don't make you a better player, because you don't work on your skill level. What those trips can do is help you mentally. They can give you some confidence. And I think that helped him as much as anything. He led the team in scoring and I think that helped his confidence.
Todd Myles:
Question about Coach Stansbury.
Myles - I think that he learned a lot last year as a first year head coach. He made a good adjustment going from an assistant coach to a head coach. He showed that by winning 20 games. He understands more what the players can do and understands more overall what to expect from his team as a head coach.
How much better are you right now than you were last year?
Myles - I'm totally different than I was last year. Confidence-wise I'm as high as I can get. I think the way I came back and played at the end of the season really helped me. I'm really looking for great things from the team and me as a whole. I really feel comfortable with the guys that I am playing with. They are a great group of guys.
Question about being a clutch player handling the basketball.
Myles - I pretty much did that in junior college and high school. Sometimes you have mental lapses. I had mine for a year and a half but I finally came on. Good things come to those that wait.
Question about playing well in the SEC Championship Tournament and not getting into the NCAA Tournament.
Myles - I look in media guides and see that the SEC is the number 2 power ranked conference in the country behind the the Big Ten this year. I wonder how other conference teams get 6 or 7 teams in the tournament and we don't. I've put that behind me. We have to focus on the games we are expected to win and not have a lapse against them. We'll be fine if we do that. We do have a lack of size but work hard.
Question about Antonio Jackson.
Myles - Antonio is a player. I feel very comfortable playing with him. I feel very comfortable playing with Derrick Zimmerman even though he is young. In the years to come Derrick Zimmerman will be the player everybody thinks that he can be. Tony Jackson is going to be a tremendous help to our basketball team this year.
Question about replacing the leadership of White and Washington.
Myles - I am the oldest player on the team and a lot of guys look up to me because of that. I look forward to that. I look forward to Tang, Marckell or Rob to look up to me and ask questions on and off the court. I'm prepared. I watched Detrick White lead this team. He wasn't a very vocal guy but he led by example. I had a great teacher and feel very comfortable with that situation.
Question about going pro out of college or high school.
Myles - That is great opportunity and a very difficult decision for a young man to make. You have to think the average person makes $30,000 a year. If you are going to be offered three or four million a year to play basketball, I think you should do it, but I also think you should come back and get your degree like Emmitt Smith did. You are only going to be able to play basketball nine or ten years max, the knees are not going to give you more than that. The most important thing is to get that education. If you don't manage your money right, you might be eating out of a garbage can.
Are you ready to get out there Saturday and play?
Myles - Yes, I'm really ready for our season to start. I want to compete now. I have being doing the conditioning for six to seven months now. I'm ready to reap the benefits of all of that hard work.
