The Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs will hit the road again this weekend, heading to Memphis to take on the University of Memphis Lady Tigers on Sunday.Head coach Sharon Fanning said the team is excited to go on the road again after two home midweek contests.
“The team is really excited as we go into this game, and hopefully we’ll have great support,” Fanning said.
Fanning said her team can expect to face another formidable opponent in the Tigers this weekend.
“Memphis will be aggressive, and they will scrap so we have to play hard,” Fanning said.
Fanning said she knows there are areas the team still needs to improve in but she is very confident those improvements will be made. Some improvements that Fanning is looking for are consistency, intensity, and better shots.
“We have got to take good shots and get that extra pass in,” Fanning said. “We are going to have to keep up our intensity and focus. We have got to improve our defense, rebounds and executions because that is what will win the game.”
The Lady Bulldogs did not face the Lady Tigers last season. Last season, the Lady Tigers posted a 4-27 record, grabbing just one conference victory. Head coach Blair Savage-Lansden, who is entering her fourth season as head coach, will lead the Lady Tigers.
Senior forward Imesia Jackson said she is looking forward to facing a tough opponent on the road.
“I am so excited about this game,” Jackson said. “I am ready to go play and see what the outcome is.”
Sophomore guard Alexis Rack said it will be interesting for the Lady Bulldogs to see a team they did not face last season.
“It’s this first time the team has played Memphis since I have been on the team,” Rack said. “I am excited, even though it’s just another game, but we are going to practice hard and be ready to come out and play.”
The Lady Tigers will be led by their lone senior and team captain Aroha Jennings, who plays forward. Last season Jennings averaged 11.9 points per game, adding 5.2 rebounds per game. She saw action in all 31 games, making 17 starts with 12 of those in the last 13 games of the season.
Jennings stepped out of the starting line-up last season on Senior Night in Memphis, although she came off the bench to score 15 points in that game. She scored double-digit points in 19 games, including a career-high 26 points in the loss at University of Texas-San Antonio.
Jennings scored 20 or more points four times and closed the season with her first career double-double with 19 points and a career-high 13 rebounds at the Conference USA Tournament.
Jennings was named to the All-Tournament Team at UT-San Antonio after averaging 18 points and 5.5 rebounds in the two tournament games. She was second on the team with 57 assists and 33 shots made from the three-point range. Jennings hit 37.1 percent of her shots from behind the arc and 84.9 percent of her shots from the free-throw line.