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Women's Basketball Set To Face Mississippi State on Sunday in Starkville
Dec. 9, 2005
Complete Release in PDF Format
Game Storylines **Sunday's contest will be the second of five-straight road contests for Maine in the month of December. **Maine and Mississippi State will be meeting for the first time. The Lady Bulldogs did take part in the 2004 Dead River Company Classic in Orono, but the teams did not meet because MSU lost in the opening round to Saint Joseph's Pa. **Maine is 1-14 all-time against current members of the Southeastern Conference. Scouting Mississippi State Mississippi State enters Sunday's contest with a 1-5 record. Just like Maine, the Lady Bulldogs have had more than a week to prepare for the contest. MSU last played on Dec. 2, as it dropped a 75-59 decision to Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla. Mississippi State is led by forward Robin Porter, who leads the team in scoring (12.4), rebounding (6.4) and steals (1.7) per game. Porter is the only Lady Bulldog averaging double-figures in scoring. Lady Bulldogs First Of Two SEC Opponents Maine Will Face This Month Mississippi State will be the first of two opponents Maine will face from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) this month. The Black Bears will also take on Mississippi in the first round of the Hurricane Holiday Classic in Miami, Fla. on Dec. 28. Maine is 1-14 all-time against current members of the SEC. Maine Versus The SEC Maine is 1-14 all-time against current members of the Southeastern Conference. The Black Bears' lone win over an SEC-foe came back on Jan. 5, 1995, when they handed Alabama a 75-73 loss at Alfond Arena in Orono. Last Time Versus Mississippi State (First Meeting) Maine and Mississippi State will be meeting for the first time on Sunday. The Lady Bulldogs did compete in the 2004 Dead River Company Classic in Orono, but the two teams did not face each other. Maine advanced to the championship and defeated Saint Joseph's Pa., who knocked off Mississippi State in the first round to send the Lady Bulldogs to the consolation game. Maine Away From Orono In December Maine is 6-5 away from Orono in the month of December since the 2002-03 season. Both Teams Plagued By Turnovers Both Maine and Mississippi State have been plagued by turnovers early on this season. The Black Bears are averaging 20.0 per contest, while Mississippi State is turning it over 24.3 times a game. Month Of December To Test The Black Bears Maine will not play at home during the month of December. The Black Bears opened play during the month last Saturday with a 68-60 loss at Michigan, and then will face Mississippi State (SEC) in Starkville this weekend. Maine will travel to Washington D.C. to face George Washington (A-10) on Dec. 17, and then battle Mississippi (SEC) on Dec. 28 in the first round of the Miami Hurricane Holiday Classic. The Black Bears could possibly face Miami (ACC) in the tournament. Schrader In Search Of Fifth-Straight Double-Double Senior center Abby Schrader will look to record her fifth-straight double-double of the season versus the Lady Bulldogs. Schrader has recorded four straight this year after recording four total throughout her first three years at Maine. Whittier's Rebounding Senior forward Katie Whittier needs just three more rebounds to give her 49 in the first-six games this season, which would equal her total for the last two seasons combined. A Maine Win Would...
A Maine win would avoid a four-game losing streak in one season for the first time since the 2000-01 campaign. That season (Sharon Versyp's first), the Black Bears dropped five-straight contests from Dec. 29-to-Jan. 14.
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