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LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 13/10 Kentucky women’s basketball team has clinched at least a share of the Southeastern Conference regular season championship for the first time since 1982 and now looks to capture the title outright when it faces a tough Mississippi State squad on Sunday on its senior day and the final game for Lady Bulldog coach Sharon Fanning-Otis. The game will be televised live in Humphrey Coliseum at 1:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
The Wildcats (23-5, 12-3 SEC) are coming off a hard-fought 53-50 win over South Carolina at home on Thursday, their school-record 12th conference victory. With Tennessee falling to Arkansas in its last game, a win over Mississippi State would give UK the top seed heading into the SEC Tournament next week in Nashville, Tenn., and the outright SEC regular season championship title.
UK has won four in a row over the Lady Bulldogs, including a 48-point win (88-40) in Lexington on Jan. 8. The Wildcats hit a school-record 14 3-pointers en route to the largest margin of victory over an SEC opponent in program history.
“We really need to put everything we can into this one getting ready to go on the road (where) a lot is at stake and I think the players are aware of that,” UK Hoops Coach Matthew Mitchell said. “Mississippi State is a team that when they played here, they were short one of their best players. She is back now. (Porsha) Porter is back for them and I think gives them another ball handler and gives them a more explosive backcourt. I think Diamber Johnson is one of the best guards in our league. The last time we were on the road, we really struggled, so we need to be very focused in our preparation and get excited for a tough game on Sunday.”
Leading the way for the Wildcats this season is junior All-America and SEC Player of the Year candidate A’dia Mathies (Louisville, Ky.). Mathies leads the team in almost every statistical category, including scoring (15.4), steals (2.7), 3-point field goals made (42) and 3-point field goal percentage (.368). SEC Freshman of the Year contender Bria Goss (Indianapolis) follows in the scoring column with 11.7 points per game. She has scored in double digits in six of the last seven games. Sophomore forward and All-SEC candidate Samarie Walker (West Carrollton, Ohio) is the team’s leading rebounder with 6.3 rebounds per game.
Mississippi State (14-14, 4-11 SEC) enters Sunday’s contest coming off a 79-45 loss at Florida. The Lady Bulldogs have lost three in a row and eight of their last nine. MSU is 10-5 at home, including 2-5 in SEC play.
Senior guard Diamber Johnson is Mississippi State’s top scorer, averaging 14.9 points per game, as well as a team-high 3.9 assists per game, the fifth most in the conference. Senior guard Porsha Porter ranks second team on the team in scoring with 13.2 points, while swiping an SEC-high 3.1 steals per game. Freshman Ashley Brown is MSU’s leading rebounder with 5.9 rpg.
Former Wildcat coach Sharon Fanning-Otis is in her 36th season overall as a head coach. Fanning-Otis’ first head coaching job came at Chattanooga, where she patrolled the sidelines from 1976-87. She then took over the program at Kentucky in 1987 and went 134-97 in eight seasons with the Wildcats. After 17 seasons at State, Fanning-Otis announced she will retire at the end of the season. Sunday is her final game in Humphrey Coliseum.
“There weren’t a whole lot of people when I was starting out as a high school coach in Mississippi that I learned more from than her (Fanning-Otis),” Mitchell, a native of Louisville, Miss., said. “She spent a lot of time with me as a high school coach. I worked her camps. She is a great lady. She has meant a lot to me. She has meant a lot to this program too, she has the second-most wins of any coach in this program. I would have to believe they will be motivated to play for her and that’s just something else. We have to stay focused on what we need to do. We can’t get distracted by anything else going on but what needs to happen on the court.”
Sunday marks the 38th meeting between Kentucky and Mississippi State. UK holds a 20-17 advantage overall, while the Bulldogs hold a slight 8-7 lead when the game is played in Starkville. The Cats are looking for their fifth straight win over the Bulldogs, including fourth straight in Humphrey Coliseum. UK won the last meeting in Starkville, 69-59 (1/31/10).
The game also can be heard on the UK IMG Sports Radio Network with Neil Price. Fans can also follow the UK Hoops team on Twitter at @UKHoopCats and use #UKHoops to comment on the game.
