Dec. 18, 2003

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University men's basketball team plays the first of an eight-game homestand Saturday when it hosts Mississippi State in a non-conference matchup at 7 p.m. in the Leavey Center.

Tickets to Saturday's game are available by calling the athletic ticket office at 408/554-4660. The game will be broadcast live via the Bronco Radio Network, which is anchored in the Bay Area by KSFB-AM (1220) and is available through SCU's official athletic website at www.SantaClaraBroncos.com. In addition, a live statistical GameTracker will be available online.

The Broncos are 6-4 on the season following Wednesday's 91-74 loss at Oregon. Santa Clara is a perfect 3-0 at home this season and does not play a road game until Jan. 22 when it travels to Saint Mary's College.

Junior transfer Doron Perkins continues to lead the Broncos in scoring, averaging 13.2 points per game after pouring in a team-high 20 in Wednesday's loss at Oregon. He has averaged 17.0 point per game in his last three outings after scoring 21 against Pacific and 10 at Eastern Washington. Kyle Bailey, who has missed the last two games due to injury, is second on the team with a 10.1 points per game average. Junior guard Ethan Rohde also did not play at Oregon due to a virus.

Perkins leads the West Coast Conference in steals with a 2.0 per game and is among the league's top 10 players in scoring. Senior co-captain Jim Howell leads the Broncos with 5.9 boards per game.

Santa Clara is currently averaging 67.7 points per game while holding its opponents to just 64.7 points and .436 shooting from the field. The Broncos have outrebounded eight of its 10 opponents this season and enjoy a plus-5.2 per game rebounding margin.

Mississippi State enters the game with a perfect 8-0 record after a 77-59 win over New Orleans Tuesday night in Tupelo, Miss. The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents by an average of 13.8 per game and are shooting .486 from the field. MSU is also averaging over 10 steals and nearly five blocked shots per game.

Senior Timmy Bowers leads four Bulldogs who score in double-figures with a 16.1 per game average. Lawrence Roberts and Winsome Frasier average 15.9 and 15.1 points per game, respectively, while Marcus Campbell scores 11.8 points per outing. Roberts, a transfer from Baylor, is averaging a team-high 11.3 rebounds per game.

Mississippi State won the only previous meeting ever between the two programs, taking a 75-67 victory in the 1995 NCAA Tournament in Boise, Idaho.