Following a 19-point win over Georgia on Thursday night that was as procedural as it gets, Mississippi State will complete a two-game homestand Sunday afternoon as Florida visits Humphrey Coliseum.
The Bulldogs (20-5, 7-3 Southeastern Conference) defeated the Gators (12-9, 3-6) by 12 points in Gainesville on Jan. 22. But Florida remains one of the SEC’s top offensive teams, with former MSU guard Aliyah Matharu ranking third in the conference in scoring and Leilani Correa, who scored 31 points in the first meeting with the Bulldogs, in fourth. The Gators average 76.2 points per game as a team, fifth in the SEC and a fraction of a point behind MSU.
6-foot, 6-inch center Ra Shaya Kyle puts up 12.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, but she has not played since Jan. 7 due to a knee injury. If she remains out Sunday, the Bulldogs should be in good shape if they can contain Matharu and Correa.
Florida is also the SEC’s most foul-prone team, committing 19.1 fouls per game and sending its opponents to the free throw line 21.6 times per contest. That’s a big reason the Gators allow the third-most points per game in the conference, ahead of Tennessee and Kentucky, and their perimeter defense is also 12th in the SEC.
Here are three keys to victory for the Bulldogs as they look to keep pace in the SEC standings and work toward a top-four seed in the conference tournament.
Get out in transition
MSU put up 89 points against Florida in the teams’ first encounter, the most the Bulldogs have scored in conference play. Jerkaila Jordan and Jessika Carter each had 20-point double-doubles in that game as MSU scored 46 of its points in the paint. Head coach Sam Purcell’s team is comfortable playing fast, and the Bulldogs’ offense has played some of its best basketball of the year during their current five-game winning streak, so using tempo could again serve them well in Sunday’s game.
Take care of the ball
MSU would have won the first game against the Gators even more comfortably had the Bulldogs not turned the ball over 15 times with Florida scoring 22 points off those turnovers. The Gators force 17.8 turnovers per game, one of the few categories in which they rank in the top half of the SEC. If MSU can limit those turnovers in the rematch, it should be on its way to extending its winning streak.
Limit Matharu and Correa
Florida’s dynamic duo combined for 47 points against the Bulldogs last month, with Correa putting up 31 and Matharu adding 16 while playing just 18 minutes off the bench. If MSU gets out to an early lead, Purcell may want to play Mjracle Sheppard in place of Lauren Park-Lane to bolster his backcourt defense alongside Jordan, who had four blocks and four steals Thursday night against Georgia. The Gators are limited outside of Matharu and Correa, so slowing them down likely means slowing down Florida’s offense.
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