LADY BULLDOGS HIT ROAD FOR SUNDAY TILT AT LOUISIANA TECH
STARKVILLE,
Miss. – A week after defeating Tulane at Humphrey Coliseum, the
Mississippi State women’s basketball team looks to make it two-straight
against the state of Louisiana on Sunday as it ventures to Ruston for a
2 p.m. contest against Louisiana Tech. The
70-55 win against Tulane gave the Lady Bulldogs their fourth-straight
win and a 7-1 overall record, the best start since the 2008-09 season. Defense
has been the spark for Sharon Fanning-Otis’ squad. In the four-game win
streak, the Lady Bulldogs have held the opposition to 24.3-percent
shooting, including 20.7-percent from beyond the arc. Offensively,
senior Diamber Johnson paces Mississippi State with an SEC-best 18.4
scoring clip. The Pontotoc, Miss., native also leads the squad in
assists with 31. Porsha Porter has also enjoyed an
outstanding start to her senior campaign, averaging 12.4 ppg while
topping the team in steals with a 3.6 per-game tally that ranks fourth
in the conference. Freshman Martha Alwal continues to top
the SEC in blocks with a 3.8 average that rates fifth in the NCAA.
Alwal enters Sunday’s game two blocks shy of matching the MSU freshman
record held by former All-American LaToya Thomas. The Worthington, Minn., native also rates second in the SEC in rebounds with a team-high 9.5 average. Senior
Ashley Brown has played tremendous basketball since joining the
starting lineup three games ago. The Chicago native collected a
double-double 11 points and 11 rebounds against Tulane. In the last
three games, Brown has averaged 10.3 points and 8.3 rebounds. Mississippi
State heads to Ruston looking to avenge a 69-61 setback to the Lady
Techsters last season. Louisiana Tech knocked off Houston Wednesday to
run its record to 3-6 this season. Shantale
Bramble-Donaldson has been the main threat for LTU this season. She
leads the Lady Techsters in scoring (11.9 ppg), rebounds (7.2 rpg) and
steals (14) while tying for the top mark with six blocked shots.
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