NEW ORLEANS, La. – The New Orleans Privateers women's basketball team (0-2) will face a stiff test when they host the 25
th ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-0) on Saturday at Lakefront Arena. Tip is slated for 2 p.m.
Seven days have elapsed since the Privateers' last game, a 65-51 loss to Jacksonville State. New Orleans was trailing by only three points nearly midway through the second half, but went on a six-minute drought from the field and conceded a 9-1 run in that same stretch.
Raven Coleman and
Ariele Davis both made their season debuts after missing the season opener against West Alabama with concussions. Coleman nearly went for a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds. Coleman also went 4-for-6 from the field. The Privateers won the overall battle on the boards 44-42 in the loss.
New Orleans will be meeting Mississippi State for the 14
th time in program history. The Bulldogs own a 10-3 advantage in the all-time series and won the last meeting in Starkville last season. This will be the first time the Privateers have hosted an SEC program since Jan. 14, 2009 when the Privateers hosted LSU.
Mississippi State climbed into the Top 25 rankings after the first week of the season and own a win over previously 17
th-ranked West Virginia. The Bulldogs average 86.4 points per game, which is 12
th most in the NCAA this season. Mississippi State's most recent effort was an 80-46 win over Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs have three players who currently average double figures in points. Victoria Vivians averages 16.4 points per contest to lead the team. Morgan William is averaging 14.8 points and Ketara Chapel checks in with 12.0 points per game. The Bulldogs have a rebounding margin of +7.4 over their opponents this season.
Live video of the game will be available on unoprivateers.com/watch.
