MSU’S Mccray-penson set to face Ole Miss
One of the most intense rivalries in the country lies in the state of Mississippi with Ole Miss and Mississippi State, but the women’s basketball rivalry has been far from back and forth on a regular basis.
The Rebels owned the series for the first three decades. MSU lost the first 17 games to Ole Miss and 50 of the first 51. It wasn’t until 2000 that the Bulldogs were able to win back-to-back games in the series for the first time.
Since 2010, the series has flipped towards MSU. It’s been 19 wins in the last 21 tries for the Bulldogs and a long winning streak now of 13 with most of those not even being close. Ole Miss coach Yolett Mcphee-mccuin is hoping to change that as soon as today when her Rebels come to Starkville. The tip is set for 5 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum.
Ole Miss has increased the talent on the roster and after combining for just 16 total wins and three Southeastern Confer- ence victories in her first two years, The Rebels are off to a 7-1 start and won its first league game in two years earlier this week against Auburn.
“It’s the battle of the state,” MSU coach Nikki Mccraypenson said. “I know Yo and support her and her family. She’s done a great job of recruiting and they’ve gotten some great transfers. That’s what she’s done to compete night in and night out. It’s going to be a hard-fought game. They’re talented and have depth at every position and we’ve got to be ready to go. We know that it’s a rivalry game, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to focus on us.”
It’s the first taste of the rivalry for Mccray-penson as she enters her first year as coach in Starkville and she and Mcpheemccuin are history makers as the first African American women’s basketball coaches at their respective schools. Ole Miss enters relying heavily on star player and Maryland transfer Shakira Austin with her 19 points a game and 7.1 rebounds. The Rebels also had a big start from fivestar freshman Madison Scott as she’s averaging 12.2 points and 7.8 rebounds a game. Donnetta Jackson averages 11.6 points.
The Bulldogs have had their share of production as well as Jessika Carter is coming off of a 25-point, 16-rebound game against Florida and is averaging 17.3 points and 9.3 rebounds. Rickea Jackson is up to 17.2 points herself and Aliyah Matharu scored 9.9 points off the bench.
Even though MSU has looked very good in spurts, it’s the up and down play that Mccray-penson is seeing that her team needs to get fixed. The Bulldogs let a win over a top 15 opponent in Kentucky slip away a week ago and they struggled to score down the stretch in a win over Florida. It’s not something the coach is to concerned with as she believes her team will be playing its best basketball when it matters.
“Every day we’re still evolving,” Mccray-penson said. “We’re probably going to be playing our best ball in February. We’re only eight games in and that’s not a lot games. I want to get to a point where we’re playing 15, 16, 17 games and you can start seeing some things evolve and we finish games better. Everything is still new and we’re learning game by game. The more we can stay together and not be effected by COVID, that helps us.”
To continue to improve, a win today is imperative for MSU as it strives to hit Mccray-penson’s goal of playing the best by February.
Point guard Myah Taylor has been involved in the Bulldog/rebel rivalry for four years and she knows the importance that it has on the fan base especially. She also understands not to let emotions get too high or too low in the game.
“This game will mean a lot to me and a lot of our fans as well,” Taylor said. “Ole Miss is coming in and are a lot better than they used to be so it’s going to be a very tough game. As long as we stick together and play as a team, I feel like we’ll get the outcome we need. Ole Miss is just another tough game in the SEC that we’re going to get ready for.”