Mississippi State fall sports roundup: Week of Dec. 6

Enjoy this recap of fall Mississippi State University sports updates:

Hardwood and Hoops: Incomplete nonconference grades

Fort Worth, Texas— The MSU men’s basketball team lost its only game this week to unbeaten Colorado State 66-63 at the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic on Saturday. The Bulldogs have a 6-3 (0-0 SEC) record.

Next up: The Bulldogs return home for two consecutive nonconference matches at Humphrey Coliseum. On Tuesday, MSU will host the Georgia State Panthers (5-3, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference) at 7 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs hold a 3-0 all-time series advantage against the Panthers, with the most recent meeting being held in 2016.

On Friday, MSU will host the Furman Paladins (7-3, 0-0 Southern Conference) at 6 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs hold a 4-0 all-time series advantage against the Paladins, but the most recent meeting was in 1970. Both games will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

Martin, Tenn. — The MSU women’s basketball team played a single game this week, defeating the UT Martin Skyhawks 54-37 on Sunday. Tough defensive play and poor shooting kept both teams in offensive check throughout the first half, with the Bulldogs holding just a 22-18 advantage at the half.

MSU surged ahead in the third quarter, putting together runs of 9-0 and 12-0 to build a 45-29 lead at the end of the period. Both teams again struggled offensively in the fourth quarter, and MSU (7-2) won by a final margin of 54-37.

The 37 points scored by UT Martin (3-6) are the lowest number scored by an MSU opponent since LSU netted 35 on Jan. 31, 2019.

The Bulldogs did hold an advantage in hustle plays, gaining a 14-2 margin in points off turnovers. MSU outblocked the Skyhawks for an 11-1 advantage, including five from freshman forward Denae Carter. State also forced 15 UT Martin turnovers and made just seven of its own.

Junior forward Rickea Jackson was the only Bulldog to score in double digits, netting 19 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Redshirt senior guard Myah Taylor continued her solid floor leadership for the Bulldogs, filling out the stat sheet with seven points, six assists, three rebounds and four steals.

MSU’s bench was thin for this contest due to a flu bug going around and pregame warmup injury to redshirt senior guard Anastasia Hayes, who was held out of the game. Redshirt junior guard Ashley Jones earned her first start of the season, scoring seven points to go with four assists, three rebounds and one block in 32 minutes.

Next up: MSU women’s basketball hosts a multi-team event at The Hump Friday through Sunday.

On Friday, MSU takes on the Troy Trojans (5-5, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference) at 2 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs own a 14-2 all-time series advantage against the Trojans. MSU has won the past seven contests, including the most recent matchup in December 2020.

Saturday, the Bulldogs will match up with the Jackson State Tigers (1-4, 0-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) at 4 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs own a 16-11 all-time series advantage against the Tigers, including the last meeting in November 2020.

On Sunday, MSU will face the South Carolina State Bulldogs (0-9, 0-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) at 2:30 p.m. CT. This will be the first matchup between these two groups of Bulldogs. The Friday and Sunday games will be broadcast on SEC Network+, while the Saturday tilt will be on SEC Network.

Hope you enjoyed catching up on these other fall sports. Hail State!