The final regular season game for the Mississippi State University Bulldogs women’s basketball team will be Sunday at Humphrey Coliseum. However, before tournament and postseason play begins, the Bulldogs will need to defend their home court one more time against in-state rival Ole Miss.
Vic Schaefer said he is proud of what his team has accomplished this season.
“I don’t think you can say this is just another win,” Schaefer said in a news release. “There has been a lot of great basketball played at Mississippi State. Coach (Sharon) Fanning had a lot of great teams and a lot of great players. For the youth on this team, for us to get to 25, is a tremendous accomplishment.”
 With a third-place finish in the SEC on the line, the Bulldogs will more than likely need to beat the Rebels Sunday if they wish to hold on to their current position in the standings. The Rebels come into Starkville riding a newfound wave of momentum, as they have won two straight games after dropping the previous seven. One of those wins came against the No. 13 Kentucky Wildcats.
 One of the biggest reasons for the Rebels’ turn around centers around the stellar play of their two senior forwards, Danielle McCray and Tia Faleru. McCray was able to fill up the boxscore against Kentucky, compiling 13 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks and two steals to help pull off the big conference upset.
 Faleru has been on a tear as of late. She averaged 19 points and 10.5 rebounds over the last two games. Faleru also averages a double-double for the season and leads the team in the total minutes played category at 838. The match-up between Faleru and Bulldog sophomore Breanna Richardson could ultimately play a very pivotal role in deciding the outcome of the game.          
With the Bulldogs’ tendencies to play with long stretches of mediocre offense this season and the improved play on defense of the Rebels, Sunday’s match-up could prove to be another grinding game for both teams. 
 MSU enters into Sunday’s game riding the hot hand of freshman Victoria Vivians and the post play of senior Martha Alwal. Vivians, in particular, has been scoring and rebounding at very high levels for a freshman. Her shot-making ability serves as a spark on most nights for her team, which tends to struggle on offense, only shooting 40 percent from the field as a whole.
 The game against the Rebels begins at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Humphrey Coliseum.