Missouri preview

Fresh off a thrilling 47-44 win against Arkansas in Humphrey Coliseum last weekend, the Mississippi State women's basketball team makes its first trek to SEC newcomer Missouri Sunday afternoon.

Tip for the first meeting between the Bulldogs and Tigers is set for 1 p.m. on the SEC Network. The contest will also be shown on ESPN3.

The game will be broadcast on WKBB-FM 100.9 and WXWX-FM 96.3, and live audio for HailStateTV subscribers will be available at www.hailstate.com/hstvlive.

Both teams come into Sunday off victories last weekend. The Bulldogs held off a second-half Arkansas charge to improve to 10-12 overall, 2-7 in SEC play. Missouri knocked off No. 9 Tennessee 80-63 at Mizzou Arena to run its record to 15-8 and 4-5 in the league.

"We are going on the road to play a Missouri team that just beat a very good Tennessee team," head coach Vic Schaefer said. "They have a lot of confidence right now and also had the week off like us. (Missouri coach) Robin (Pingeton) has done a great job with that team, and it will be a challenge that we'll have to be ready for on Sunday."

Mississippi State will need another stellar defensive effort like the one it used in last Sunday's win against the Razorbacks. The Bulldogs held Arkansas to 14 points on five field goals in the opening half, and 32.1 percent from the floor for the game.

"We beat a good basketball team in Arkansas that took Kentucky to overtime Thursday night," Schaefer said. "Against Arkansas we played hard and we played together, and that is key for our team."

Sophomore Martha Alwal sparked MSU offensively against the Razorbacks, collecting her SEC-leading 11th double-double of the season, and third in four games, with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Alwal jumped into a tie with fellow sophomore Kendra Grant for the Bulldog scoring lead at 12.4 ppg. Grant also had a solid showing against Arkansas, tallying 11 points for her third-straight game in double figures.

Senior Darriel Gaynor hit a trio of big 3-point baskets for nine points in last Sunday's victory. The Las Vegas native has been hot from downtown the last two games, connecting on five of her last 10 attempts.

The Bulldogs meet a Missouri team that stands as one of the best in the SEC at shooting the 3-pointer. The Tigers rate fourth in the league with a 34.3 percentage from long range and top the conference with 9.1 3-pointers per game.

Sophomore Morgan Eye paces the Tigers with 13.9 ppg. She leads the nation with 3.9 made 3-pointers per game.