Mississippi State
5-5
South Alabama
7-3
Bulldog Lead Evaporates As MSU Falls To USA 71-67
December 15, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Obliterating his previous career best of 29 points, Bennett shot an incredible 14-of-17 from the field, including a perfect 6-of-6 effort from behind the arc, to record 39 points on the night along with eight rebounds. Bennett proved vital to the Jaguars throughout the game, as he scored 25 points by halftime, including USA's first 20 points of the contest.
Phil Turner, after appearing in the first start of his Maroon and White career, proved to be the surprise anchor for the Bulldogs, as he scored a career-high 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Ben Hansbrough notched 16 in the losing effort, including several late three-pointers to help keep the Bulldogs in the game. Despite a tough shooting night, State's Jamont Gordon tied a career high with 13 rebounds and sophomore Jarvis Varnado claimed 10 boards.
After leading at halftime 32-30, the Bulldogs extended that margin to as many as 13 (67-44 with 10:25 to go). MSU maintained a comfortable lead for a majority of the second stanza (eerily similar to Thursday night's loss to Miami in Starkville) before watching Bennett explode in the latter minutes to spark an 18-3 Jaguar run.
The loss marks the first for coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs versus South Alabama in 11 games.
State continues its three-game road trip by travelling to Los Angeles to face Loyola Marymount this Wednesday, Dec. 19. The game will not be televised and tipoff is set for 9 p.m. CT.
