ITTA BENA, Miss. – The Mississippi Valley State University women’s basketball program got its first conference victory in dominant fashion last time out and will look to stack some wins beginning with GSU on Saturday.
Records: Mississippi Valley State (2-12, 1-5 SWAC) | Grambling State (5-11, 2-3 SWAC)
Location: Grambling, Louisiana – Frederick C. Hobdy Assembly Center
Series History: N/A
Last Meeting: March 1, 2021 | Grambling State 78, Mississippi Valley State 54 | Itta Bena, Mississippi (R.W. Harrison HPER Complex)
Winning Streak: Grambling State (W3) | Mississippi Valley State’s Last Win: February 3, 2020 (68-57)
Mississippi Valley State Overview
When MVSU misses a shot, more times than not they will grab their own board. Valley has the 14th-most offensive rebounds per game in the nation with 15.6 while they are also 17th among all teams for turnovers forced as well at 21.93.
Zakiya Mahoney has been as reliable as ever with her propensity to score buckets, leading the team with 14.9 point a night (fifth in SWAC) and a 40.8 field-goal percentage (sixth in SWAC) while also ranking ninth league wide regarding steal average (1.79).
Sarah Moore finally got that elusive double-double her last time out which has her rebounding average creeping towards double-figures at 9.2, third-highest in the conference.
Mikayla Etienne has solidified her standing as a three-point threat, slotting second in the SWAC with 1.93 triples per ballgame.
Ronni Williams has been an upper-echelon glue girl this year, producing the second-most assists (4.4) and steals (2.36) on average in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Scouting The Opponent: Grambling State Lady Tigers
It has been a Jekyll and Hyde type season for the Black and Gold as they won the first two games of the year over ULM and Northwestern State before dropping eight straight against brutal competition before rebounding with a victory over New Orleans in the non-conference finale. During SWACtion, GSU is 2-3 but is coming off a huge momentum-boosting win over previously unbeaten Southern, 55-46 last Saturday.
Alexus Holt is the straw that stirs the drink for GSU, leading the squad in every statistical category except blocks (Ashanti Lavergne, 14). She ranks fourth in the conference in points per game (15.5), sixth for free-throw percentage (72.9%) and eighth regarding field-goal percentage (40.1%) to go along with a team-high rebounding rate (4.7), assists (44), and steals (29).
Justice Coleman is right behind Holt in the rebounding department at 4.5 boards a night while averaging 11.1 points on 40% shooting.
Your financial support, whether it be through purchasing season tickets, making an annual donation or committing to a major gift, directly benefits Valley’s student-athletes in the classroom and in sports.
