Fast Facts: Ten to Know for State’s Second Round Matchup

by Brian Ogden, Assistant Coordinator/Communications

STARKVILLE – A second round matchup awaits Mississippi State on Sunday night when the Bulldogs host No. 9-seed Clemson at 8 p.m. CT. The game will air on ESPN with Paul Sunderland and Steffi Sorensen on the call.
 
Fans can listen to the action on the MSU Radio Network and online via HailState.com/Plus and the TuneIn app. Doors will open at 7 p.m.
 
The Bulldogs (31-2, 15-1 SEC) are coming off a historic performance in the first round that saw them record their largest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament game. State defeated Southern, 103-46, on Friday, eclipsing the 100-point mark for just the second time in Bulldog tournament history.
 
MSU's seniors will play their final game in the Hump on Sunday. The 2019 class has won 130 career games, an MSU record, including 61 victories on their home court.
 
Teaira McCowan and Anriel Howard each recorded double-doubles on Friday. The Dawgs are 10-0 this season when the duo records double-doubles in the same contest. McCowan is now averaging 21.0 points per game in the NCAA Tournament over the past two years.
 
The winner of Sunday's game will advance to the Portland Regional next weekend and play at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, for the opportunity to advance to the Final Four in Tampa, Florida.
  Opponent: Clemson
Location: Starkville, Mississippi (Humphrey Coliseum)
Time: Sunday, 8 p.m. CT
Watch: ESPN (PxP – Paul Sunderland; Analyst –Steffi Sorensen)
Listen: MSU Radio Network and HailState.com/Plus (PxP – Jason Crowder; Analyst – Charlie Winfield)
  Overall: Series tied 1-1
At MSU: CLEM leads 1-0
At CLEM: MSU leads 1-0
Neutral Sites: N/A
Last Meeting: CLEM, 80-75 (12/16/83 in Starkville)
 

• Holmes leads the nation with a 4.61 assist/turnover ratio entering the NCAA Tournament. She only has 4 games this year with 3 or more turnovers against 20 contests with 5 or more assists.
• McCowan has been crucial in State's second attack, not only by leading the nation on the offensive glass, but in the put-back efforts she scores.
• She scored 36.3 percent (103-of-284) of her points in conference play off offensive rebounds.
• MSU remained at No. 4 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, extending its 58-week streak in the Top 10. That is the fourth-longest streak in the nation.
• Mississippi State has led at halftime in all but one game this season. In fact, the Bulldogs have trailed by more than three points in just 8 games all year and only trailed by double digits twice. MSU has trailed for a total of 105:45 out of 1,320 minutes this season.
• The Dawgs have broken last year's school-record of four 100-point efforts in a single year with 8 such games this season (last vs. Southern - March 22).
• McCowan's 1,463 career rebounds are the 2nd-most among active NCAA Division I players. Howard follows close behind in 6th with 1,277 boards. McCowan is the SEC's active leader in the category, while Howard is 2nd.
• McCowan has scored double figures in 31 of 33 games this year. In 14 of those games she has scored 20-plus points.
• HerHoopStats.com tracks the Bulldogs at 1.13 points per scoring attempt, which is 14th nationally, and 0.96 points per possession, which ranks 8th.
• ESPNW National Coach of the Year Vic Schaefer has collected 192 wins in seven years at MSU. That is more than notable coaches such as Muffet McGraw (Notre Dame), Kim Mulkey (Baylor) and Geno Auriemma (UConn) put together in their first seven years at their current schools.

 

• MSU recorded its 8th 100-point game and largest margin of victory ever in the NCAA Tournament with a 103-46 win against Southern on Friday.
• MSU dominated the 1st and 3rd quarters of the contest, outscoring the Lady Jaguars, 68-15, in those two periods alone.
• Anriel Howard led all scorers with 23 points and added 12 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the year. Teaira McCowan followed close behind with 22 points and 16 boards for her 28th double-double of the season.
• The Dawgs are 10-0 when that pair records double-doubles in the same game.

 

• No. 9-seed Clemson (20-12, 9-7 ACC) earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and defeated No. 8-seed South Dakota, 79-66, in the first round.
• The Tigers are seeking to win 21 games for the first time since the 2000-01 season. They are 15-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• Kobi Thornton (14.2 ppg) is one of 4 Tigers averaging double-figure points along with Simone Westbrook (13.9), Danielle Edwards (13.3) and Aliyah Collier (12.7).
• Clemson rode a 15-0 run in the fourth quarter to pull away on Friday.