After eight days off, Mississippi State returns to Humphrey Coliseum on Friday for the first time since Dec. 14 as the Bulldogs host Mississippi Valley State in their final non-conference game before Southeastern Conference play begins.
MSU (12-2) has won 19 of 21 all-time matchups against the Delta Devils (1-10), including a 104-47 romp in last year’s season opener. Jerkaila Jordan led the Bulldogs with 18 points in that game and Jessika Carter added 16 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks as MSU made 66 percent of its field goal attempts.
This year, MVSU has already tested itself against some of the best competition in the nation. The Delta Devils’ lone win was an 85-82 victory at McNeese State on Nov. 16, and they have already played four SEC opponents, all on the road — No. 7 LSU (109-47 loss), No. 1 South Carolina (101-19 loss), Ole Miss (84-56 loss) and Texas A&M (95-45 loss).
MVSU has not won more than six games in a season since 2016-17 and last finished with a winning record in 2012-13. The Delta Devils have played just one home game so far this year and will not play another until their SWAC opener on Jan. 6.
Here are three keys to victory for the Bulldogs as they look to close out non-conference play strong.
Get out to a big early lead
As a heavy favorite, MSU will not want MVSU to get any ideas about pulling off a shocking upset. The Bulldogs need to play their style of basketball early in the game and focus on the fundamentals — defense, rebounding and taking care of the ball — to remove any doubt about the outcome by halftime. This would also give head coach Sam Purcell’s team the chance to give the reserves more playing time and get his starters, particularly those in the post, some much-needed rest before SEC play.
Contain Sh’Diamond McKnight
McKnight leads the Delta Devils in points (14.5), rebounds (4.3), assists (3.6) and steals (2.8) per game, all while playing just 26 minutes per contest. She has turned the ball over 44 times, so MSU will likely try to hound her in the backcourt with a combination of Jordan, Lauren Park-Lane and Mjracle Sheppard. MVSU has few trustworthy options on offense outside of McKnight, so if the Bulldogs can stop her, they should be on their way to an easy win.
Feed Jessika Carter
Most of the Bulldogs’ non-conference opponents have not had an answer for MSU’s 6-foot-5 star center, who scored a career-high 31 points in her first game back from an injury on Dec. 11 against Kennesaw State. The Delta Devils will probably use Amberly Brown, their leader in blocks, to guard Carter, but Carter has four inches — not to mention a whole lot more Division I experience — on Brown. Park-Lane, Jordan and the Bulldogs’ other guards should be able to find Carter for easy looks at the basket all night long.
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