Mississippi State women’s basketball postponed Thursday’s scheduled Southeastern Conference opener against Florida due to positive COVID-19 tests and exposures within the Bulldogs’ program.
The university has not yet revealed the severity of the outbreak but released a statement about the postponement Tuesday night: “The Mississippi State women’s basketball game against Florida on December 30 at Humphrey Coliseum has been postponed due to a combination of positive tests, contact tracing and subsequent quarantining of individuals within our program, consistent with Southeastern Conference COVID-19 management requirements. A make-up date has not been determined at this time.”
The release also stated that all tickets will be honored if the game is rescheduled and will be refunded if the game is cancelled.
Interim head coach Doug Novak, who came in only a couple months before the start of the season, has helped guide a Bulldogs team depleted by injuries and transfers through the start of their season with hopes to improve on last year intact. They finished up their non-conference schedule last Monday with a win over South Carolina State, and will enter SEC play with a 9-3 record. Unfortunately, the next part of their season will have to wait.
The postponement of their Thursday opener is obviously an unwanted interruption in their season, and casts uncertainty over other games in their schedule as well. The Bulldogs have a quick turnaround with road trips to face Kentucky and Alabama set for Jan. 3 and Jan. 6, respectively.
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