Rebels, Bulldogs ready to tip off league play
By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
Jan. 5, 2004
The true college basketball season tips off for Ole Miss and Mississippi State University in grand fashion on Wednesday.
After navigating through a month of non-conference match-ups, the Bulldogs (11-0) travel to play the Rebels (8-3) in the two squads' first Southeastern Conference match up of the season.
MSU, which matched its best start with a 68-58 road win over Arkansas-Little Rock last Saturday, enters the conference opening contest winning the last four games between the two Magnolia State schools.
The Bulldogs defeated the Rebels 73-64 in the second round of the SEC tournament last May to end Ole Miss' season.
MSU is led by senior guard Timmy Bowers, who is averaging 16.5 points per game. The Bulldogs are also getting double-digit nightly contributions from junior guard Winsome Frazier (13.5) and center Marcus Campbell (10).
Bulldogs junior forward Lawrence Roberts has also made a big impact since joining the program after transferring from Baylor. The 6-foot-9 Houston native is averaging a double-double scoring a team second-best 16.3 points and pulling down 11 rebounds per game.
The Rebels look to keep a six-game winning streak rolling, after the team shook off a shaky start to the 2003-04 season.
Ole Miss' current winning streak started after the team dropped two in a row to Memphis and Florida State, which put its record at 3-2 at the start of December.
The Rebels' tandem of Justin Reed and Aaron Harper enter the conference showdown combining to score nearly half of the team's 66 points per game average.
Reed, a senior forward, is averaging a team-best 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Harper, a senior guard, is putting up 15.4 points per game.
On the women's side of the court for the two schools, Mississippi State University will look to rebound from its loss on national television to Illinois on Sunday when the Lady Bulldogs hit the road to take on SEC foe Georgia.
The Lady Bulldogs (5-7) will try to break a three-game losing skid on Thursday in the home of the conference's other Lady Bulldogs.
MSU is led by guard Tan White, who is averaging 16.6 points per game, and the squad is getting double-digit scoring production from Tiania Burns (15) and Seneca Anderson (10.5).
The Ole Miss women's squad will attempt to keep a three-game winning streak going in the team's final contest before starting SEC play.
The Lady Rebels (8-5) host Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 7 tonight, and the begin conference play against Florida in a home contest at 8 p.m. Thursday. Ole Miss' offense is led by Genice Terry and Armintie Price, who are both averaging 14.5 points per game.
The University of Southern Mississippi men's basketball team enters Conference USA play on the road against Rick Pitino's Louisville Cardinals on Wednesday.
The Golden Eagles (7-4) won their final non-conference match up of the season 61-59 over the University of New Orleans last Saturday. USM's offense is paced by Charles Gaines' 16.7 points per game. USM's Jasper Johnson is averaging 13.5 points, and Clement Carter is chipping in with 11.5 a game.
The Lady Eagles (11-1) rebounded from their first set back of the season, a 56-51 loss to Arkansas-Little Rock on Dec. 30, with a 63-47 blowout of Samford last Saturday.
USM will wrap up non-conference play at home against New Orleans at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, with two players averaging double-digits in scoring. Deondra Carter paces the Lady Eagles' offense with 12.9 points per game, and Michelle Poindexter is pumping in 10.8.
Later in the week, the MSU men's team will host Arkansas on Saturday in its second SEC game of the year, and the Ole Miss men's squad will travel to Auburn for a Saturday afternoon match up with the Tigers.
The Lady Bulldogs will host perennial SEC women's powerhouse Tennessee in a Sunday afternoon contest, and the Lady Rebels open conference play against Florida on Thursday.
