MSU Seniors Prepare For Final Game Inside The Hump

March 18, 2018

STARKVILLE, Miss. (MSU Athletics/WCBI) – Top-seeded Mississippi State seeks to punch a ticket to the Sweet 16 for the third-straight year as it hosts ninth-seeded Oklahoma State Monday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Tip from Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville is set for 8 p.m. The game will be shown on ESPN2, with Courtney Lyle and Tamika Catchings calling the action. The contest can also be streamed on www.WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app.

In its first game as a No. 1 seed, State advanced to the second round with an impressive 95-50 win against Nicholls in front of a program fourth-best crowd of 10,211. That attendance number was the second-largest among all of the first-round sites.

Senior Victoria Vivians led the way with 20 points and tallied a double-double with 13 rebounds. Teaira McCowan also notched a double-double, her 24^th of the season, with 18 points and 13 boards, while Blair Schaefer knocked down 18 points.

Saturday’s win improved MSU to 33-1 on the season. The Bulldogs have the opportunity to match last season’s squad for the most victories in program history, but it will have to do so against a tough Cowgirl squad that knocked off No. 8 seed Syracuse 84-57 in the opening round behind 27 points from Jaden Hobbs and 19 each from Kaylee Jensen and Loryn Goodwin.

Monday’s game will be the second meeting of the year in Starkville between the two teams. The Bulldogs notched a 79-76 win on Dec. 3 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Victoria Vivians tallied 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting and hauled in eight rebounds in the game, while Ro Johnson dropped in 18 points and Morgan William 15.

Goodwin led the Cowgirls with 35 points and added 10 rebounds in the game.

GAME INFORMATION
Opponent: Oklahoma State (NCAA Tournament Second Round)
Location: Starkville, Miss. (Humphrey Coliseum)

Date: Monday, March 19

Time: 8 p.m. CT

Television: ESPN2 (PxP – Courtney Lyle; Analyst – Tamika Catchings)
Watch Online: WatchESPN.com or WatchESPN App
Listen: MSU Radio Network, HailState.com/Plus, TuneIn App (PxP – Jason Crowder; Analyst – Charlie Winfield)

SERIES HISTORY

OKLAHOMA STATE (Series tied 1-1)

At MSU: MSU leads 1-0

At Oklahoma State: 0-0

At Neutral Sites: OSU leads 1-0

12/3/2017 W 79-76 H

12/29/2011 L 71-78 N

BULLDOG BITES

Mississippi State will play in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the 9th-straight time. The Bulldogs seek to advance to the Sweet 16 for the 3rd-straight year.
Saturday’s win against Nicholls was MSU’s 33rd of the year, the second-most in school history and 1 back of matching last year’s team for the most by a Bulldog squad.
State has now won 19-straight home games, a streak that has lasted a full calendar year.
Saturday’s crowd of 10,211 is the 4th-largest in school history and the 2nd-largest among the first-round sites.
MSU and Oklahoma State met Dec. 3, 2017, in Starkville in the Big 12/SEC Challenge, with MSU winning 79-76.
Vic Schaefer was named a finalist for Naismith National Coach of the Year on Wednesday. He is the 2018 SEC Coach of the Year by the league coaches and Associated Press.
Carly Thibault-DuDonis was tabbed to the WBCA’s Top 30 Under 30 as one of the top assistant coaches in the nation.
Victoria Vivians is a First Team All-American by USA Today and a Third Team selection by ESPNW. Teammate Teaira McCowan was named a First Team All-American by ESPNW.
Both McCowan and Vivians are on the Wooden Award National Ballot.
Vivians notched her 16th 20-point game of the year and 4th double-double of the campaign with 20 points, 13 rebounds against Nicholls. She has double figures in 33 of MSU’s 34 games.
Vivians enters Monday 1 point from tying Tan White for 2nd at State in career scoring. Vivians has 2,420 points.
McCowan recorded her 24th double-double on Saturday. Her 34-career double-doubles are 1 shy of tying for 2nd at MSU.
In her last 3 home NCAA Tournament games, Blair Schaefer is averaging 19.0 ppg and shooting 56.7% FG, 50% 3FG.