Mississippi
What to watch, keys to victory for Mississippi State at Texas A&M
Mississippi State found its offense just in time for an overtime win at Kentucky on Thursday night, and up next is another road test Sunday afternoon against Texas A&M.
Aggies head coach Joni Taylor, who grew up in Mississippi, coached Georgia for seven years, reaching the NCAA Tournament four times. She took over in College Station last season for the legendary Gary Blair, who had led the Aggies to the 2011 national championship and reached at least the Sweet 16 eight times. But Taylor’s first year with Texas A&M saw the Aggies tumble to a 9-20 overall record and a 2-14 mark in Southeastern Conference play.
Things are going much better for Texas A&M (15-5, 3-4 SEC) in year two under Taylor. The Aggies are 11-1 at home, with the lone loss coming against defending national champion LSU, and they picked up their biggest win yet on Jan. 14 with a 15-point victory over Tennessee.
It all starts on the defensive end for Taylor and company. Texas A&M allows just 55.3 points per game, trailing only top-ranked South Carolina among SEC programs. The Aggies are also second in the conference in field goal percentage defense and third in both perimeter defense and rebounding.
Offensively, Texas A&M is in the bottom half of the SEC in most categories and is especially poor when it comes to 3-point shooting (13th, 26.4 percent) and free throw shooting (13th, 65.9 percent). The Aggies do at least take care of the ball, turning it over the third-least often in the conference at 13.4 times per game.
Four Texas A&M starters average double-digit scoring, led by point guard and Oregon transfer Endyia Rogers with 12.5 points and four assists per game. Her backcourt partner, Auburn transfer Aicha Coulibaly, is right behind Rogers in scoring, while post players Janiah Barker and former Arizona Wildcat Lauren Ware also average more than eight rebounds per contest.
Here are three keys to victory for the Bulldogs (18-5, 5-3) as they seek their fourth road win in conference play.
Set the pace
The Aggies love to slow the game down and limit their opponents’ offensive possessions, and MSU is a team that is comfortable playing fast. The Bulldogs have a highly-experienced point guard in Lauren Park-Lane, who can penetrate or shoot herself, kick the ball out to another shooter or send it inside to the post. If MSU can get Texas A&M on its heels and keep the Aggies from settling into their defense, the Bulldogs should be able to score some points.
Space the floor
Texas A&M’s strengths lie in the frontcourt, and MSU, despite struggling for most of the Kentucky game, is a good 3-point shooting team. Whether through playing inside-out or moving the ball along the perimeter, setting up outside shots for players like Debreasha Powe and Darrione Rogers would be a winning strategy, even against a team that allows its opponents to shoot just 27.1 percent from deep.
Clog the interior
The Aggies will want to score as many of their points as possible in the paint, and it will be up to Jessika Carter and Erynn Barnum — with help from Nyayongah Gony and Quanirah Montague — to limit Texas A&M’s production inside. The Bulldogs can afford to overcommit slightly to stopping the Aggies’ post players because of how much A&M has struggled to shoot the 3-pointer, and while they obviously don’t want to leave anyone completely unprotected, playing a zone can help make sure all areas are accounted for.
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Mississippi
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Mississippi
Vote for Mississippi boys high school athlete of the week Sept. 2-7
There were several top performers across the state in boys high school sports, but only one can be voted athlete of the week for Sept. 2-7.
Fans may vote in the poll BELOW one time per hour per device. The poll closes at noon on Friday.
To nominate a future athlete of the week, email mchavez@gannett.com or message him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.
To submit high school scores, statistics, records, leaders and other items at any time, email mchavez@gannett.com.
Nominations
Kendetryon Backstrom, Kemper County: Backstrom had 247 passing yards, going 13-of-16 on completions for with two touchdowns and had six carries for 45 yards and three touchdowns in Kemper County’s 46-8 win over Noxapater.
Ronde Baker, Terry: Baker produced 171 rushing yards on 12 carries with four touchdowns in Terry’s 57-6 win over Pure Academy.
Wyatt Bond, Lamar School: Bond recorded 320 passing yards, going 24-of-37 with three touchdowns, and had 43 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Lamar’s 35-34 loss to Winston Academy.
Coby King, Greene County: King was 24-of-35 passing for 418 yards with a touchdown and had 11 carries for 137 rushing yards with four touchdowns in Greene County’s 51-36 loss to George County.
Tray Kinkle, Holly Springs: Kinkle produced 10 carries for 300 yards and four touchdowns in Holly Springs’ 33-0 win over Byers.
Tyshun Willis, Velma Jackson: Willis had 15 carries for 203 rushing yards with a touchdown, four receptions with 59 receiving yards, and a touchdown. On defense, he recorded four sacks, 8.5 tackles and three tackles for loss in Velma Jackson’s 24-22 win over Yazoo County.
Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.
Mississippi
Mississippi woman killed in two-vehicle crash in Grenada County
GRENADA COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – A Mississippi woman was killed during a two-vehicle crash in Grenada County.
Officials with the Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) said the crash occurred on Highway 7 just after 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 7.
Mississippi woman killed in head-on crash in Louisiana
According to MHP, a 2002 Toyota Sequoia was traveling north on the highway when the vehicle collided with a Mercedes van that was also traveling north.
The driver of the Mercedes, 53-year-old Loretta Hopkins, of Winona, died at the scene.
This crash remains under investigation by MHP.
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