Mississippi State Women’s Basketball Visits No. 15 Tennessee

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State women’s basketball will play its second straight away game Thursday, traveling to Knoxville to face the 15th-ranked Tennessee Lady Volunteers. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time at Food City Center, with coverage on SECN+ and radio broadcasts on the MSU Radio Network in Starkville.

The Bulldogs enter the game with a 15-6 record overall and a 2-5 mark in Southeastern Conference play. They recently lost to No. 23 Alabama, 85-78. Favour Nwaedozi led Mississippi State with 19 points, hitting a season-high seven free throws. Madison Francis contributed 16 points, eight rebounds and a career-high seven steals. Jaylah Lampley added 14 off the bench, shooting 6-for-9 from the field. Trayanna Crisp scored 11 points, making all six free throws.

This will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams. Tennessee won the first game in Starkville, 90-80. The Lady Vols are undefeated in SEC play at 6-0 and boast an 8-0 record at home this season.

Four Tennessee players are averaging double figures in points, led by Talaysia Cooper at 14.4 points per game. Janiah Barker adds 14.3, Mia Pauldo averages 12.1, and Zee Spearman scores 11.3. The Lady Vols hold a commanding series lead, 42-8, over Mississippi State. Tennessee has won 19 of 22 meetings in Knoxville, with the last 10 games evenly split at five wins each.

Madison Francis was recently named to the 2026 Naismith National Player of the Year Watchlist. The freshman leads the SEC in blocks at 3.0 per game and is the only SEC rookie averaging more than 1.0 blocks per game.

Fans can follow the game via live stats and updates on HailState.com and social media platforms under ‘HailStateWBK.’

Source: Original Article