Mississippi State
Oklahoma City (Exh.)
State Trounces Oklahoma City In Exhibition Affair
November 06, 2007 | Men's Basketball
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STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State, led by all-America candidate Jamont Gordon's 20 points, dominated their second and final exhibition game by a score of 100-69 over defending
Gordon, a first-team preseason All-SEC selection, shot 7-of-13 from the field to lead all scorers while dishing out seven assists to pace all players in that category as well.
Three other Bulldogs recorded double-digit nights, led by sophomore standout Jarvis Varnado's 16 points on a perfect 8-of-8 from the floor. Varnado, who impressed in State's most recent exhibition game by falling two blocks shy of a triple-double, also blocked a game-high five shots and tied the team-high with six rebounds. The Bulldogs' pair of returning All-SEC Freshmen Ben Hansbrough and Barry Stewart rounded out State's double-digit scorers with 16 and 13 points, respectively.
Leading the top-ranked NAIA team in the preseason, senior forward Irick Willie scored 21 points on a 8-of-21 performance from the floor, while junior forward Na'Vonta Kentle grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds on the night.
While the Stars of Oklahoma City never led after the 18:06 mark early in the first stanza, the contest was a close one until 2:07 remained before halftime. At that point, a Hansbrough trey sparked a 31-7 Bulldog run which would put away the Stars for good. Hansbrough was 4-of-6 from behind the arc in the game.
Coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs, who notched a 71-60 victory over the University of the Cumberlands Saturday afternoon, now move to a 17-2 mark during exhibition play under his guidance with the win and will begin regular-season play this Saturday, Nov. 10, at 4:30 p.m. CT in Humphrey Coliseum, hosting Louisiana Tech University.
