By Staff
From staff reports
JAN. 11, 2001
Sharon Fanning's Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs will go on the road in search of their first win in Southeastern Conference play tonight at Ole Miss.
State's women, ranked 21st in the nation, are 9-4 overall, but 0-2 in SEC play. Unranked Ole Miss is off to an 11-2 start and is 0-1 in the conference.
MSU and Ole Miss have met 58 times in 27 years, with the Lady Rebels holding a commanding 52-6 advantage.
State garnered its first-ever win at Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford last season en route to its first-ever three-game sweep of the Lady Rebels.
The Lady Bulldogs beat Ole Miss 82-58 in Starkville, 66-60 in Oxford and later 75-59 in the SEC Tournament.
Mississippi State has won its last four contests against Ole Miss and five of the last seven with both losses coming in Oxford.
Fanning is 6-15 against the Lady Rebels, 5-6 while the head coach at Mississippi State.
Ole Miss coach Ron Aldy is 2-5 against State since taking over the Lady Rebels' program.
Sophomore forward La-toya Thomas leads Mississippi State, as well as the SEC by averaging 24.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. Last year's Freshman of the Year is coming off a 28-point, 13-rebound performance against LSU last Sunday.
Thomas needs only 13 points to reach 1,000 and she would become the fastest of any Lady Bulldog to ever reach that milestone.
Ole Miss is paced by Becky Myatt, who is averaging 13.2 points per game. Sherika Wright pitches in 10.9 points per outing and Von Kirk averages 10.8.
The Lady Rebels have dropped two games in a row since starting the season with 11 straight wins.