December 1999 MSU Basketball Skuttle-Butt

12/26/99 (2:30 p.m.) - Click here to read a Clarion-Ledger article about the MSU Final Four team of 1995/1996......

12/23/99 - Click here to read a premium site interview with Coach Sharon Fanning......

12/22/99 - Click here to read ESPN's wrap up of last night's MSU/Stanford basketball game.

12/21/99 - The men's basketball team plays Number 1 Stanford tonight beginning at 8 p.m, CDT. It will be televised on Fox Sports Network. If you have the big dish satellite system, you can pick it up on these locations: W1-9, C1-22, C1-7.

12/21/99 - Thirteen players scored for No. 21 Mississippi State, led by Meadow Overstreet's career-high 26-point effort, as the Lady Bulldogs improved to 9-0 with a 106-36 win over Mississippi Valley State Monday night at Humphrey Coliseum.

State's 70-point margin of victory was its best since defeating Judson College by 82 in 1986.

Overstreet's tally came on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, which included 8-of-10 from beyond the arc. The eight three-pointers in the game set a new school record, which was previously held by Cynthia Hall, who connected on seven treys against Alabama A&M on Nov. 24.

Valley (3-7) was led by Tiffany Pittman's eight points. Chandra Haywood collected 11 boards for the Delta Devilettes, who were outrebounded 56-38 in the game.

Tournament MVP LaToya Thomas scored 20 points and had nine rebounds for Mississippi State. Hall and Jennifer Fambrough each added nine for the Lady Bulldogs, who shot 55 percent from the field.

State jumped out to a 28-3 advantage in the first nine minutes, and finished the first half on a 16-5 run to take a 64-15 lead into halftime. The Lady Bulldogs led by as many as 77 in the second half.

"I'm happy with the way that we maintained our lead," MSU head coach Sharon Fanning said. "This was tremendous for our team chemistry. We got to see a variety of lineups on the court. We maintained our intensity and focus for the full 40 minutes."

The Lady Bulldogs next travel to the West Coast for a pair of games, first against Cal State-Northridge on Dec. 31, and Pepperdine on Jan. 3, before beginning SEC action at Florida on Jan. 6.

Reprinted with permission from the MSU sports media relations department

12/21/99 - I drove over to Columbus last night to watch Lanier HS defeat Fairley HS 80-58. Lanier's outstanding forward Darius Rice scored 27 points, hauled down 8 rebounds, blocked 4 shots and had two steals. As he was walking off the court after he came out of the dressing room after the game was over, I noticed that he had two fingers wrapped together. It appeared that his fractured finger is still bothering him. You have to admire the guy for playing almost the entire game with a fractured finger. Darius' teammate, James Thomas, led all scorers with 28 points.

12/20/99 - Eleven players scored points as Sharon Fanning's Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs remained unbeaten and earned a birth in the championship game of the Mississippi State Classic with a 104-48 victory over Texas-Pan American.

LaToya Thomas led MSU with 25 points and nine rebounds on 12-of-13 shooting. Angela Harris contributed 20 points and dished out a career-high 11 assists. Also in double-figures for the Lady Bulldogs were Cynthia Hall with 14 points, Jennifer Fambrough with 13 points and Meadow Overstreet, who scored 12 points. Nitra Perry pulled down nine boards for State, who outrebounded the Lady Broncos 47-38.

Two players scored in double-figures for Texas-Pan Am: Rachel Friedeck with 16 points and Alexanda Gravel, who chipped in 10 points.

Mississippi State wasted little time, taking a 2-0 lead on a Cynthia Hall jumper twelve seconds into the game. MSU expanded the lead to 28-10 at the 11:12 mark, then outscored the Lady Broncs 25-11 to take a 53-21 lead at the half.

MSU opened the second half on a 24-5 run, extending their lead to 77-26 with 14:26 remaining. Fanning cleared the bench as every Lady Bulldog saw action. "I felt like it was very positive in the fact that our momentum didn't change offensively when we made substitutions. In the first half, we had 13-of-the-15 people in and during that time we maintained our momentum and that is something we are going to try to continue to do."

The Lady Bulldogs shot 51 percent from the field and held Texas-Pan American to 35-percent shooting. State forced 34 turnovers and had 21 steals, both season highs.

Mississippi State extended their regular-season winning streak to 13 games, a school record.

Mississippi Valley State earned a birth in the championship game tomorow by downing Tennessee State (3-4), 67-59. The Delta Devils improved to 3-6 on the season. Tracey Campbell poured in 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to pace Valley. Tennessee State was led by Tuarus Pyles (15 points) and Angela Hassell (14 points).

Tennessee State will meet Texas-Pan American Monday at 5 p.m. in the consolation game. Mississippi State and Valley will battle for the championship immediately following at 7 p.m.

Reprinted with permission from the MSU sports media relations department

12/18/99 - Sharon Fanning's No. 22 Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs will seek to extend a school-record 11-game regular season winning streak as they host the Mississippi State Classic, December 19-20. Joining the Lady Bulldogs in the holiday tournament are Texas-Pan American, Mississippi Valley State and Tennessee State.

Tennessee State (3-3) will meet Mississippi Valley State (2-4) to open the tournament Sunday at 1 p.m. State will face Texas-Pan American (1-9) immediately following at 3 p.m. The two losers will meet in the consolation game Monday at 5 p.m. The championship game will tip off at 7 p.m.

Mississippi State, which is enjoying a national ranking for the second week in a row, is led in the scoring department by freshman sensation LaToya Thomas of Greenville, who is averaging 20.9 points per game. Thomas is second on the team in rebounding, pulling down 8.7 boards a contest. Senior foward Nitra Perry leads the team in that category (9.1 rpg) and is scoring 14.7 points per game. Perry is shooting the lights out from the field at a 59 percent clip.

Cynthia Hall is second on the team in scoring (17.7 ppg) and leads the team in three-point shooting (23-of-42, 55 percent). Also averaging double-figures for the Lady Bulldogs is last year's leading scorer Jennifer Fambrough, who is averaging 14.9 points per game.

State is second in the conference and third in the nation in scoring, averaging nearly 87 points per contest. They are shooting an impressive 52 percent from the floor and 42 percent from three-point range. The Lady Bulldog defense has smothered its opponents, allowing an average of 59.6 points per game on 38-percent shooting.

Mississippi State will hit the road, traveling to California following a short Christmas break. State will play at Cal State Northridge on New Year's Eve at 7 p.m. (CST). The Lady Bulldogs will stay in the Golden State, meeting Pepperdine January 3rd at 4 p.m. (CST). Mississippi State will continue the road-swing entering SEC play at Florida (Jan. 6th) and at LSU (Jan. 9th).

Reprinted with permission from the MSU Sports Media Relations Department

12/18/99 - In the Columbus (MS) HS Christmas Classic Tournament last night, Lanier HS defeated Millington HS by a score of 94 to 72. Lanier senior forward Darius Rice scored 20 points while pulling down 10 rebounds. Darius was playing with two injuries, one a fractured finger and the other an injury to the inside of his hand. It was obvious to me that it affected his shooting. Lanier senior point guard James Thomas scored 27 points. I didn't keep stats for the other Lanier players but I was impressed with the effort of junior forward Solomon Forbes. He played with a lot of effort on both ends of the court.

I noticed in the tournament program that Moor HS has a 7-1 freshman by the name of Ronnie Norma. Moor plays Amory HS Monday at 3:00 p.m. I believe I'll go see that one out of curiosity. Terry HS also has a tall youngster in 6-8 junior Chris Morgan. His team also plays at 3:00 p.m. Monday.

12/18/99 - The fifth of six student-athletes who made commitments to the Mississippi State women's basketball team was announced Friday. Jessica Carter, a 5-7 guard from Farmington, Ark., signed with the Lady Bulldogs during the fall's early signing period.

Carter averaged 18 points, six assists and three steals as a junior last season leading her team to a 32-3 record and the state semi-finals. As a sophomore, she helped her team to a 34-2 record and the state-runner up title.

Carter was named all-conference and all-region in both 1998 and 1999. She also garnered all-state honors last season. During the summer of 1998, she was named most valuable player of the 15-under BCI National Tournament.

Academically, Carter is ranked in the upper 15 percent of her class and has accumulated a 3.70 grade point average.

"Jessica is a great three-point shooter," MSU head coach Sharon Fanning said. "She is a gym rat who will find time to outwork you. She will play both the shooting guard and point positions. She pushes the ball up and is a ready shooter. Jessica understands the game and is best when the game is on the line. She is a winner and will provide great leadership and work ethic for the Lady Bulldogs."

Reprinted with permission from the MSU Sports Media Relations Department

12/17/99 - Contact the MSU women's basketball office if you are interested in attending their tournament banquet Saturday night at 5:30. The phone number is 662-325-0198.

12/17/99 - Speaking of tournaments, don't forget that Lanier HS and Darius Rice are in Columbus, MS. tonight in the Columbus Classic Tournament. Game time is 8:30 p.m.

12/17/99 - The fourth of six student-athletes who made commitments to the Mississippi State women's basketball team was announced Monday,. Lyndi Sippel, a 6-2 post player from Rising Fawn, Ga., signed with the Lady Bulldogs during the fall's early signing period.

Under head coach Gene Durden, the Dade County High School Lady Wolverine started some her freshman season but has been a consistent part of the starting line-up over the last two seasons. She helped her team to a state runner-up finish with a 27-4 record during her sophomore year and a 20-9 finish her junior year ending with a second-round playoff loss.

Sippel , who was named to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Terrific Ten in November, averaged 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists last year. So far this season, the Lady Wolverines are 7-1 with the All-Tell Thanksgiving Tournament title under their belt as well.

Throughout the course of the last few years at Dade County, Sippel has earned first-team all-tri-state and all-North Georgia honors. She was also named second-team all-state two straight seasons.

Sippel spent the summer playing AAU basketball with the Atlanta Celtics.

"Lyndi was one of the hardest workers we saw all summer," MSU head coach Sharon Fanning said. "She gets to the rim, can score inside or step out and shoot the three. She is a winner, a leader and has a tremendous work ethic. Her defense and rebounding will help her step in and be competitive right away. We are excited she has chosen to be a Lady Bulldog."

Reprinted with permission from the MSU Sports Media Relations Department

12/16/99 - Darius Rice info from a Bulldog fan who saw Darius play in Fayetteville this past weekend.

"I would just like to pass on some information about Darius Rice's tournament stop in Fayetteville, AR. What I would say is that most of the media types that covered the Holiday Hoops tournament where not very impressed with Mr. Rice and stated so in the paper and on TV. An observation that I noticed was that Darius did not seem comfortable shooting the ball in Walton Arena. The media stated that Darius had a broken finger on one hand and wrist injury on the other, but to me it looked like the Arena was the problem, not the hands (this was reported after he had a bad first game). But Darius was quoted as saying 'I would like to break Todd Days records here at Arkansas'. This may not be the exact statement but it is very close."

BTW, for those of you who would like to see Darius play this weekend, he will be playing at the Columbus (MS) HS gym Friday night at 8:30 and Monday at 7:30 p.m. He is a treat to watch. Wear your maroon and white.

12/16/99 - Click here to read a very nice article about our nationally ranked ladies' basketball team.....

12/15/99 - Rick and Meo Stansbury are the proud parents of a baby boy whose name is Isaac Lee Stansbury. Congrats to the parents and welcome to the Bulldog family, Isaac.

12/15/99 - For those of you who live in the Columbus, MS. area, you have a great chance to see Lanier HS's Darius Rice play this Friday night. Lanier HS will be playing Millington HS in the Columbus Christmas Classic this Friday night beginning at 8:30. Make sure you wear your maroon and white if you go. I hope to see a lot of Bulldog fans at the game. Prior to that game, Tupelo HS's girls team plays Clinton beginning at 7:00 p.m. Tupelo has the top junior girl in the state in Tan White.

12/12/99 - Click here to read the MSU official site recap of yesterday's MSU men's 98-76 victory over Centenary....

Here is a little premium site info:

Post-game press conference comments and quotes from the MSU 98 to 76 victory over Centenary:

Coach Rick Stansbury:

I thought our kids came out to play. Our intensity early in the ballgame set the tone as to how that game was going to be played. The first eight minutes was basically the game from the standpoint of us extending a 15 to 20 point lead. Then we got Robert hurt and from that point on we weren't precise offensively on the inside for sure. We didn't rebound the basketball as well from that point on.

Give them some credit. Coach Johnson has a nice team. His two players stepped up and played big for him. Ronnie McCollum stepped up and made a lot of shots for him. The second half we did a better job on him. The Dotson kid, we tried to run some people at him. We were undersized. He is a very good player. They have two great players on that team. That is a quality team.

We had some kids come in and give us a great effort. That's what you have to have when kids get hurt. We were without Quentin Smith. We were without Robert Jackson. We have never been without both of them. We have always had one of them. Tyrus Boswell gave us great effort but, physically, he ran out of gas. He was just exhausted. Both he and Ryan Carroll came in and gave us a lot of energy to help us win that game.

Your team shot the ball well today.
Coach Stansbury: Offensively, we have some guys who can shoot the ball. Marckell Patterson is really playing well. He has always played hard for us but now he has found a comfort zone out there offensively. He has tremendous confidence shooting the basketball. He's making shots. He's making plays for other people.

Antonio Jackson is playing well on the perimeter. We're getting a lot done on the perimeter. We have guys making basketball plays and making shots. We have to get better on the inside. We have to defend it better. We have to get more of a presence on the inside. Robert has been doing a very good job for us but we have to have him out there enough so that we get better with him in the game. Then we need Quentin to give us more of a defensive presence.

How is Robert Jackson and what is the extent of his injury?
Coach Stansbury: Robert sprained his ankle. I don't think that it is real, real serious. Hopefully, he'll get back this week for sure. Hopefully, he'll be back for the road trip.

Does this 10 day break come at a good time?
Coach Stansbury: Yes it's good. We have finals now. What's good about this break is you don't have to worry mentally about getting them prepared to play a game. That allows them to concentrate on their academics.

I like this little stretch of practice time. We need some practice. We had three very good practices, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I really think that helped us.

A question about Tyrus Boswell.
Coach Stansbury: Boswell played 23 minutes. In the last two games he has played more minutes than he even played in the year and a half that he has been here. That is a lot of minutes for Boswell. He is just now getting back. He really got fatigued. When he got fatigued, he wasn't blocking our or jumping. He played hard for us.

GS: Do you feel we saw glimpses of the Tyrus Boswell you talked about when you signed him?
Coach Stansbury: No. The thing that Tyrus has to do is learn how to utilize his athletic ability at this level. In high school his athletic ability utilized itself. By that I mean he didn't have to play at the energy, the effort and the toughness that he has to play with at this level. At this level you have a lot of people athletic like he is. He has to raise his energy level, his toughness, to another level. There is no question that he is getting better. He had his best practices since he has been here. To be able to play 23 minutes today and to have some positive things happen to him helped him. Every game is going to be a learning experience for him.

Do you feel your team will be a good free-throw shooting team?
Coach Stansbury: I think that we have some shooters. Tonight's game probably put us up over 70% as a team but in the last four games we are up about 77%, maybe 78% after tonight's game. You look at Todd, Antonio Jackson, Marckell and Tang. And even Robert Jackson who can shoot well for a big guy. I really think those five guys have the ability to shoot the ball. I think that we are a good free-throw shooting team.

Centenary Coach Kevin Johnson:

GS: What did you think about Mississippi State compared to other teams that you have played?
Coach Johnson: This is my third year in a row to play these guys and they definitely have more shooters this year. They can shoot the basketball. I felt last last year if they ever went to that lineup where Tang was at the four and they had three other guards out there on the floor, they would be tough to stop. That's what they are doing this year.

What do you think was the difference between last year's game and this year's game?
Coach Johnson: This year's Mississippi State team appears to be a little bit more athletic; they play a little more quicker. They seem to have more guys on the floor who can shoot the basketball. With Orel Roberts and big Tyrone Washington, sometimes they had to wait to get those guys down there before they could run their offense. With Jackson and Hamilton and Patterson shooting the ball they don't have to wait. They are going to put it up.

GS: You played Alabama, another SEC school. How would you compare Mississippi State to them?
Coach Johnson: That is a great question. I want to go back and look at the tape before I answer that. I tell you what our players think, they think that State is a better team than Alabama. We missed 14 free throws, 7 one-in-ones against Alabama. I think that game was a lot closer than the final score indicated 72-94). We couldn't get any closer than 15 tonight.

12/10/99

ATLANTA, Ga.- Jennifer Fambrough scored 20 points and Cynthia Hall added 18, leading No. 25 Mississippi State to a 71-56 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

The win leaves the Lady Bulldogs 7-0 for the first time in the history of the program. State has now won a school-record 11-straight regular season contests dating back to last year.

The Lady Bulldogs started slow, trailing by as many as nine with 5:48 remaining in the first half. MSU went on a 10-0 run, taking the lead on a Nitra Perry lay-up following her missed free throw. State outscored Georgia Tech 11-4 in the final 3:12 of the half to take a 38-30 halftime lead.

In the second half, Mississippi State extended their lead by as many as 17 points, but the Yellow Jackets fought back to within eight, at 53-45 with 8:56 left. Cynthia Hall poured in one of her six three-pointers to ignite a 7-0 run, extending the Lady Bulldog lead back to 15 points. Georgia Tech would never threaten again.

Joining Fambrough and Hall in double-figures were Nitra Perry and LaToya Thomas. Perry scored 14 points and Thomas recorded a double-double with an 11-point, 10 rebound effort.

Mississippi State shot 52-percent from the field and 42-percent from behind the three-point line while holding Georgia Tech to 36-percent shooting.

"We got down early but our defensive intensity is what made a big change," State coach Sharon Fanning said. "We're excited about making history. It wasn't a pretty game. We played well enough to get the win, but we really need to bear down and get ready for the SEC season."

MSU returns to the Humphrey Coliseum Dec. 19-20, hosting Texas-Pan American, Tennessee State and Mississippi Valley State in the Mississippi State Classic. State will play their first-round game versus Texas-Pan American Dec. 19 at 3 p.m.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Sports Media Relations Department

12/08/99 - Click here to read about the 88 to 58 MSU victory over South Carolina State.

12/08/99 - If you live in the area, a must see for any Bulldog fan is MSU signee Mario Austin, whose Sumter County HS team will be playing at Brookwood on December 10th. For those of you who are interested in seeing possible future Bulldog player Darius Rice play, check out the basketball tournament at Columbus, MS. beginning December 17th.

12/07/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- For the first time in the 26 years of women's basketball at Mississippi State, the Lady Bulldogs have earned a spot in the top 25. The Associated Press poll placed MSU No. 25 among the nation's top teams.

"We are excited to see our team move into the top 25," head coach Sharon Fanning said. "It has been an expectation each year and part of our process as we strive to win a championship."

Mississippi State is currently undefeated at 6-0, which is tied for the best start in school history. The Lady Bulldogs went 6-0 last season before losing on the road at Memphis.

"We realize as a program improves everyone plays you tougher. It is our goal to improve and become a consistent competitor in the Southeastern Conference.

"A national ranking is part of this process. It is very important that we stay focused on the work ethic and chemistry that provided us this opportunity. That also is an expectation."

MSU is led by freshman forward LaToya Thomas, a two-time player of the year in the state of Mississippi. Thomas is averaging 22.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Senior guard Nitra Perry is third in scoring (14.8 ppg) but leads the team in rebounding (10.2 rpg). Perry and Thomas lead the team in shooting percentage with 61.5 and 58.9-percent, respectively.

Junior guard Cynthia Hall is second in scoring, chipping in 17.7 points per contest, while leading the team in three-pointers with 17. Hall set the school record for three's in a game with seven against Alabama A&M Nov. 24. Senior point guard Angela Harris leads the team in assists with an average of 7.2 per game and steals, averaging 2.7 per outing.

State travels to Atlanta Thursday to face Georgia Tech at 7 p.m.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Sports Media Relations Department

12/07/99 - Don't forget, guys, the MSU men's team plays at home tonight. Come on out and watch them play. Gametime is at 7 p.m.

12/06/99 - Behind the outstanding play of freshman sensation LaToya Thomas, MSU defeated Southern Miss 82 to 61. Click here to read the official game story....

12/05/99 - The Lady Bulldogs play Southern Miss today at 2 p.m. at the Hump. Come on out and see LaToya Thomas, the freshman everybody in the SEC will be talking about after MSU has made the rounds of the SEC.

12/05/99 - (Premium site tidbit) Post-game press conference quotes from the 81-69 MSU victory over Western Kentucky:

Head Coach Rick Stansbury:

I thought that was a very quality Western Kentucky basketball team. Coach Felton has done a great job with them. The big kid in the middle is a load. He is a young kid and he was a load inside for us today. That's a very, very good team. People don't understand. They have been to four very difficult places now. At Southern Illinois, not many people win there. At St. Joe, not many folks win there. And at Akron. Forget their record when you write about that team. That is a very, very good team and I think they will challenge for the championship of the Sun Belt Conference.

Our team played in spurts. The zone slowed us down in the first half. We got the little lead and we lost people in transition about three straight times. It goes from a 29 to 21, to a 29 to 29 all. You can't do that when you get a lead. I was very proud of several of the players for the effort they gave. But one particular person, Ryan Carroll came off of the bench and played the way you want guys to play. He played with heart and soul. He was very instrumental in helping us to get over that hump during that stretch (at the end of the game). The other guy was Derrick Zimmerman. I thought Z came in, stole a couple of passes and defensively gave us some pressure. Those two guys were keys especially when some guys in the starting lineup weren't playing as well as they need to play.

The game Tuesday night, even though we won the game, we weren't very happy. Today, we didn't always play well but we played with tremendous effort.

What do you know about Quentin Smith's injury?
Coach Stansbury: I think he is OK. I think he has a sprained arch. That was how it was described to me.

Talk about Marckell Patterson's play?
Coach Stansbury: You can see him starting to do more things offensively. He is starting to go make basketball plays. By that I mean, when you see something, when you are running something and the defense allows you to run something else, you take advantage of it. I thought that Marckell took advantage of that zone a couple of times and drove it in there and created baskets for other folks. Marckell is always going to play with great energy and great effort. When he is scoring a few points, that makes his energy level go to another level.

Did it surprise you that Western Kentucky was able to clamp down your offense a few times down the floor?
Coach Stansbury: No, it doesn't surprise me because offensively we aren't overly efficient yet. The thing we struggled more against offensively was their zone. They got back into the game with that zone. I think they, basically, played the zone most of the second half. We have to become more efficient offensively. I think after the 10-minute mark of the second half we started to attack it better. We got some baskets against it that gave us that little spurt. Western Kentucky is a quality team.

GS: How do you compare this Mississippi State team to the other teams that you have played?
Marcus: This one was definitely more physical. They had bigger bodies; stronger, more athletic players.

GS: What did you think about this Western Kentucky team?
Carroll: I thought that they were pretty good. Really, I thought they were one of the best teams that we have played. I think they were about even to the two teams that we lost to in the tournament. The big guy was something that we haven't seen this year considering how good he was in the middle. He made a lot of things happen.

I feel this was our most complete performance of the year. I had talked to the team about the fact that we really needed to put more of a complete performance together and show ourselves that we have matured to a certain extent. And to play with the kind of poise and intensity to put ourselves in a position to win. I feel like we did that. I didn't feel like we lost this game until the final three minutes of the game.

Can you talk about cutting back on your player rotation?
Coach Felton: I did tighten up on the rotation. I started playing the guys who are performing the best. That cut into other people's minutes. I think that helped our performance level because our most consistent performers were on the court. I determined that Chris Marcus needed to play more because he is performing more consistent. I determined that Lee (Lampley) has to stay on the court as much as possible because he is our best player and smartest player and our leader. I talked to Derek about needing to be on the court more. I felt like he was struggling a little bit handling the twenty-five minutes that he was playing. I think we played better because we had our most consistent players on the court.

. GS: Do you feel this was your best game this year?
Coach Felton: Between this and Evansville (home game that they lost 47-52). We had a very good effort against Evansville and put ourselves in even closer position to win a ballgame. It was at home. This was on the road in a tougher, tougher situation.

I thought for thirty-five we performed like a team that expected to win. It was during the last five minutes that we lost our composure.

GS: What players on Mississippi State's team were you the most impressed with and why were you impressed with them?
Coach Felton: Coming into the game we thought that Antonio Jackson was fabulous. We were able to do a pretty good job on him. I know Robert Jackson very well because I recruited him. I feared his ability in the post. Tang Hamilton has a great package playing at the four but he's really like a three-man. He can shoot the three and slash. Those were the guys we were very concerned with. Obviously Marckell Patterson hurt us and hurt us the most. Robert Jackson did what I thought that he was capable of doing. He had 14 (points) and 11 (rebounds). Antonio Jackson got some points but he had to take a lot of shots to get them. Zimmerman, I knew what kind of talent he was, didn't do much but he obviously had a dramatic play with the steal and dunk. We knew that about Zimmerman; we knew he ran through passing lanes trying to get steals and he got us once. He might have got us more than once but got us once for a emphatic play at the other end.

12/03/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Lady Bulldog freshman forward LaToya Thomas scored a career-high 34 points as Mississippi State (5-0) defeated the Lady Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette (2-2) 101-56.

Along with LaToya Thomas, all five MSU starters ended in double-figures, including sophomore Jennifer Fambrough with 15, junior Cynthia Hall with 14 and seniors Angela Hall and Nitra Perry with 10 each. Aided by a 59-point second half, Mississippi State reached the century mark for the first time since the 1995 season.

"In the second half I think we did a better job on the offensive boards, on the assist turnover ratio and picked up our defense," said Head Coach Sharon Fanning.

In the opening period, the Rajun Cajuns were able to control the tempo for the first ten minutes and led midway through, 17-15. Luckily for the Lady Bulldogs, freshman LaToya Thomas stepped up her game and poured in 12 of her 15 first-half points in the final ten minutes of the half, with the season-leading scorer Cynthia Hall on the bench in foul trouble. State was able to manage a 9-2 run in the final two minutes of the half to take the lead, 42-31. MSU was also aided by 18 trips to the charity strip of which 13 were good.

Pacing the Lady Cajuns with nine points each were junior Billie Popovska and sophomore Kim Chance. The Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs will conclude their five-game homestand Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. against the Lady Golden Eagles of Southern Mississippi.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Sports Media Relations Department

12/02/99 - Click here to read the official MSU site game info.

Gene's Page premium site info:

Interview with Quentin Smith, MSU Center

Talk about your performance tonight?
Smith: The first half was an OK performance. We weren't up to par. The second half was pitiful. I can't express in words how bad we played. The intensity wasn't there. The aggression wasn't there defensively. We didn't come out and play like an SEC team. We came out and played like a lower caliber team. We can't beat good teams, playing like we played tonight. As far as our play tonight, I'm disappointed and the entire team is disappointed in it.

GS: What do you think was the reason for the lack of intensity? Do you think it had anything to do with just coming back from the road trip?
Smith: I think that had a lot to do with it to tell you the truth. Before we left, we played two games, one Sunday, one Tuesday, then we left on a Wednesday, practiced Thursday, played Friday, Saturday and Sunday, had weight-lifting Monday, practiced yesterday, then played tonight. We had a pretty hectic schedule. I can speak for all the team when I say we didn't have our legs at all out there. That's why I couldn't play in the second half; my foot started swelling on me.

GS: You seem to be playing really well considering you have been away from the game for awhile. How do you feel you are playing?
Smith: The truth be told, I am pleased but not as pleased as most folks would expect. I think that I could step it up another level. It's been kind of an up and down season so far. I started off pretty well, then went to the tournament. That first game I didn't play that well, the second game I played OK. As far as getting back into the groove of things, the coaches are taking me real slow. They have me starting now, giving me some minutes in to get ready for the SEC. I appreciate them being patient with me.

GS: How do you think that you have improved since the last time you have played?
Smith: I know that I am physically stronger now. Mentally, I feel that I am better prepared for the game, more focused. I understand more of the team goal.

GS: What is it like to play for Rick Stansbury?
Smith: Rick and I are best friends and worst enemies. He is one of the reasons I am here now. He is a great guy. He's tough, you know tough love. His work ethic is like none that I have ever seen before. He rubs off on you, not only on the court but off the court. It carries over to the classroom. He actually is a players' coach if there ever was one. He can get on you and he can be rough but he does it because he cares about you. He wants what is best for you and he wants the team to be successful.

12/01/99 - Not sure what the score was, but I was told that Lanier HS completely dominated Florence last night in basketball. Darius Rice had 27 points in his first 8 minutes. Kentucky coach Tubby Smith was at the game.

12/01/99

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs (4-0) opened the second half of Tuesday's match against the Memphis Lady Tigers (3-2) with a 15-0 run and never looked back. MSU held the Lady Tigers scoreless in the first five minutes of the second period en route to their 96-57 victory.

State senior guard Nitra Perry grabbed her second consecutive double-double and third of the season, en route to a 12-rebound and 24-point night. Bulldog junior Cynthia Hall and sophomore Jennifer Fambrough both added 21. Combined with Perry's 24, Hall and Fambrough's 21's marked the first time since Nov 20, 1998 at Southern Mississippi that three MSU players scored 20 or more. Also entering the record book again this season, Freshman LaToya Thomas tied her career-high by tossing in 18 points.

"Our defense played hard and played together," said Head Coach Sharon Fanning. "This team held them to 21-percent shooting in the second half and forced 31 turnovers and those turn into easy baskets on the other end of the floor."

Jennifer Fambrough scored 13 of her 21 points in the first half to help the Bulldogs to a 19-13 lead half way through the half. The Lady Tigers then went on a 10-0 run fueled by junior Kelly Herron's five points, to take their only lead of the contest, 24-21.The Lady Bulldogs then bounced back to take the lead 32-26 with three consecutive three-pointers two of which were by Perry including a four-point play. The aggressive Lady Bulldog defense forced the Lady Tigers into 17 turnovers during the first-half and held UM to a .375 shooting percentage.

Leading the way for the Lady Tigers was senior guard Yolanda Reed with 14 points and sophomore forward Melissa Abraham with ten.

Last season, the Lady Tigers gave MSU its first defeat and only loss in the first ten games, at the Pyramid in Memphis, Tenn.

Coach Fanning's squad will continue its five game home-stand at Humphrey Coliseum Thursday at 7 p.m. against the Louisiana-Lafayette Rajun Cajuns .

Source: MSU Sports Media Relations

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