Florida women’s basketball will host Mississippi State on Monday night at the O’Dome. The game is set for 7 p.m. and will be aired on SEC Network with Steffi Sorensen and Jason Ross on the call.
GAINESVILLE, Fla.- The Gators will host Mississippi State Monday evening at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Florida will be coming off a bye week after defeating Georgia 78-69 on Jan. 14. The matchup will mark the Gators (1-3 SEC) fifth conference game of the 2023-24 season and the Bulldogs’ sixth (2-3). Mississippi State is coming off a home loss to Tennessee, falling 75-64 on Thursday evening. Both teams are searching to tally another win onto their Southeastern Conference records before entering February play.
MISSISSIPPI STATE (15-5, 2-3):
* Date: Monday, Jan. 22
* Time: 7 p.m.
* Site: Exactech Arena
* Stream: SECN<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/616aa681-c226-4375-b337-68afbeb64f90>
* Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM<https://floridagators.com/watch/?Live=5276>
* Stats: StatBroadcast<https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=490550>
* Tickets<https://am.ticketmaster.com/gators/ism/V0IyMzA4>
THE SERIES:
The current series between Florida and Mississippi State is fairly close at 27-26 with the Bulldogs ahead by one victory. The Gators are looking to tie the series at 27 all after Monday’s game.
HISTORY:
Florida and Mississippi State have met a recorded 53 times in their respective school histories. The most recent matchup was in February of 2023 in Gainesville, with MSU defeating the Gators 73-56. Mississippi State was shooting 50 percent from the three and 46.9 from the field, compared to the Gators’ 32.2 field goal percentage and 25 percent from the three. Florida’s last win over MSU was Feb. 2, 2022, in Starkville, coming out 73-64 on the road with Zippy Broughton totaling 21 points for the Gators.
FLORIDA’S LAST GAME:
Florida’s last time out was a success, defeating Georgia 78-69 on the Gators home court. The win marked Florida’s first SEC victory, after tough losses to South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee. Overall, Leilani Correa led the Gators on offense with her first 30-point outing of the season. Correa went 10-of-16 from the field and recorded four three-pointers for the Gators, marking her career high in scoring at Florida. Following on offense was Aliyah Matharu with a 21-point performance; her eighth 20+ point game of the 2023-24 season. Laila Reynolds led Florida for the second consecutive game on the boards, securing seven of the Gators’ 37 rebounds.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE:
The Bulldogs are coming to Gainesville after a tough loss to the Lady Vols on Thursday, falling 75-64 in Starkville. The Bulldogs had four players in double digits for scoring on Thursday night and were led by Erynn Barnum on offense with a double-double. Barnum put up 15 points and secured 12 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to push MSU over Tennessee’s Rickea Jackson and her 19-point outing.
Throughout the season, Mississippi State has four players averaging in double figures for scoring: Jerkaila Jordan (16.9 ppg), Jessika Carter (14.8 ppg), Debreasha Powe (10.9 ppg), and Lauren Park-Lane (10.4 ppg). Lauren Park-Lane is one of seven players in NCAA women’s basketball history to surpass 2,000 points and 800 assists in her collegiate career. Park-Lane is also second in the SEC with 121 total assists this season, making her a large offensive threat on Monday night.
On the boards, Mississippi State is led by Jessika Carter, averaging 9.5 rebounds a game. In total, Carter has grabbed 162 rebounds this season with 103 being defensive and the other 59 being snagged on offense.
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