Mississippi State
1-0Tourn, 3-1
UC Irvine
0-1Tourn, 2-2
MSU Cagers Claim Lidlifter In Anaheim Classic, 68-53
November 22, 2007 | Men's Basketball
? Official Statistics
? Official Statistics (PDF)
ANAHEIM, Calif. ? Senior forward Charles Rhodes scored his seventh career double-double to lead Mississippi State (3-1) past the Anteaters of California Irvine (2-2) on Thanksgiving Day by a score of 68-53 in the first round of the Anaheim Classic.
State advances to Friday's semifinal round to face Southern Illinois, a winner over Tennessee-Chattanooga in Thursday's second matchup. Friday's contest is set for a 2 p.m. CT tipoff and will be televised by ESPN2. Due to the conflict with the MSU-Mississippi football game, the MSU Radio Network and Maroon to the Max will not broadcast Friday's basketball affair.
Forward Patrick Sanders paced UCI with 18 points and five rebounds. He was supported by 15 points from Darren Fells and 13 from Chuma Awaji, both coming off the bench in their efforts.
Coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs currently lead the Southeastern Conference in field goal percentage defense, and their exemplary defense continued in this contest as they held their opponents to a 34 percent effort from the floor and only 3-of-18 from behind the arc. Stansbury is now just four wins shy of surpassing his mentor Richard Williams for the title of the winningest head basketball coach in MSU history.
The Bulldogs are looking to claim their first in-season tournament title since winning the Bank One Fiesta Bowl Classic in 2000. They would play in the Anaheim Classic championship game Sunday evening with a win tomorrow.
