STARKVILLE –No. 2 seed Mississippi State women's basketball travels to face No. 1 seed Penn State in the Quarterfinals of the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament inside Bryce Jordan Center on Thursday. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
The WBIT was established prior to this season with the initial three rounds held at the highest-seeded team site. All contests are aired on ESPN networks. The winner of the four Quarterfinal rounds will advance to the Final Four with the Semifinal and Championship contests played at Butler's historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
Mississippi State was one of three SEC teams - Florida and Arkansas - selected to the field and is now the only conference that remains.
GAME INFORMATION
Mississippi State [23-11, 8-8 SEC] at Penn State [21-12, 9-9 Big 10]
Date:Thursday, March 28 |Time:5:00 p.m. CT
Location: University Park, Pa.
Watch: ESPN+
Listen:MSU Radio Network - Starkville 96.1
Fans who are not in attendance can follow action on ESPN+ or through their Mississippi State radio station with Jason Crowder. Live statistics will be available through thestatbroadcast link attached above.
It will be the second meeting all-time between Mississippi State and Penn State. Penn State defeated Mississippi State in the lone series contest on Nov. 20, 2002. Penn State will be the third Big 10 team that Mississippi State has faced under head coach Purcell.
It is the 20thoverall postseason tournament appearance - 12 NCAA and 8 WBIT/WNIT/NWIT – for the program and the second consecutive under Purcell.Purcell is the only coach in program history to lead their team to a postseason tournament in each of their first two seasons.
With a current 23-11 record, Purcellis the lone head coach in program history to record consecutive 20-plus win seasons to start their tenure. He is one of 11 SEC head coaches all-time to notch 20-plus wins in each of their first two seasons and one of five since 2000. Purcell's 45 overall and 17 SECvictories lead all head coaches in program history through their first two seasons.
At No. 27 in the NET, Penn State is the third-best opponent per NET that Mississippi State has faced this season behind South Carolina and LSU.
Penn State enters Thursday 21-12 overall and 9-9 in the Big 10 in its fifth season under head coach Carolyn Kieger. The Nittany Lions have five players averaging 10-plus points per game and ranks top-10 nationally in scoring offense, field-goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage.
Mississippi State advanced to the Quarterfinals after it defeated No. 3 seed TCU in the Second Round at home on Sunday. Graduate student center Jessika Carter finished with a team-high 17 points - eight in the fourth quarter - in addition to eight points and three blocks in 33 minutes. Carter is averaging 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 26.9 minutes per contest in the WBIT.
Mississippi State has held each opponent below its season scoring average and is limiting opponents to 34.5 percent from the field. The Bulldogs are also averaging 27.5 bench points through the first two WBIT contests.
Mississippi State is led by Second Team All-SEC selections in senior guard Jerkaila Jordanand Carter. Mississippi State is one of five schools with multiple First or Second Team selections – Alabama, South Carolina, LSU and Ole Miss were the others.
Jordan having one of the best seasons of her career. She is averaging a team-high 15.6 points and 2.1 steals, in addition to career-high marks in rebounds, assists and minutes with 5.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 30.6 minutes per game. Jordan has led the team in points in 15 contests and has scored 10-plus points in 26 this season.
Graduate studentguard Lauren Park-Lane leads the SEC and ranks sixth nationally with 211 assists this season.She is one of just three players in the country to rank inside the top eight for total assists each of the last two seasons. Park-Lane has led the team in assists in 30 overall contests.
Park-Lane is averaging 6.2 assists per contest, which is ninth nationally and the second-best single-season assist average in program history.She broke the program single-season assist record of 202 set by Jazzmun Holmes in 2018-19 with her sixth assist in the WBIT First Round against Georgia Tech on March 21.
Carteris averaging a near double-double with 14.7 points, 9.9rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 31.7minutes per contest.She has recorded 13 double-doubles thisseason - her best single-season total - and 41 for her career. She is one of six SEC players with 10-plus double-doubles this season and her career total ranks second among active SEC players and third in program history.
Sophom*oreguard Debreasha Poweand senior guard Darrione Rogers are two of the best from behind the arc and have each connected on 60-plus threes this season - the only duo in the SEC to achieve this feat.Powe is converting on 40.1 percent from three, which ranks fourth in the SEC and is a +9.9 increase from her freshman season.
The winner of Thursday's contest will face either No. 1 seed Villanova or No. 3 seed Saint Joseph's in the Semifinals in Indianapolis, Ind. on April 1. Tip-off time is still to be determined.
