Mississippi State
(8-5)
Missouri
(9-5)
State Tops Visiting Missouri, 87-75
December 30, 2007 | Men's Basketball
? Official Statistics
? Official Statistics (PDF)
? Postgame Notes & Quotes (PDF)
Stewart, who previously recorded a personal best 22 points against Auburn last season, shot 8-of-14 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe to achieve his new career standard, along with field goals made and attempted. He also dished out a career-best and team-high seven assists.
Jamont Gordon notched his sixth 20-plus point effort of the season with 20, along with claiming eight boards and dishing out five assists. Redshirt freshman Phil Turner broke his previous career record with 10 rebounds, along with scoring 12 points for the first double-double of his Maroon and White career.
Senior star Charles Rhodes did not play in the game due to a sprained left ankle endured in Thursday's practice. Sophomore Ben Hansbrough also claimed eight rebounds and 15 points to round out Bulldog players in double figures.
Matt Lawrence dominated the Tigers' first stanza, besting his season-high scoring effort by the halftime buzzer with 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting. However, the Bulldogs managed to maintain a 41-38 lead approaching the second half, in which the Bulldogs would storm out to a 16-3 run to make the score 56-44 with 14:33 remaining in the game. The Tigers refused to fold, however, and would utilize an identical 16-3 run later into the half to regain a 60-59 lead at the 8:47 mark.
Soon thereafter, Mississippi State would cap the final minutes with an 11-3 stretch, marked by three-straight made free throws from Stewart that would provide MSU with a comfortable 78-69 lead.
Lawrence easily led the Tigers' offense, knocking down a career-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including a 6-of-11 mark from behind the arc. He also had six rebounds. Senior guard Stefhon Hannah pitched in 17 points and seven assists in the loss, and junior forward DeMarre Carroll rounded out Tigers in double figures with 12.
Though Missouri ranks 10th in the nation in steals per game, coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs took care of the ball, allowing only six steals to MU in the game. Missouri had held its last five opponents to under 67 points on a collective 36.9 percent shooting from the floor until today, as the Bulldogs shot 51.7 percent.
The victory marks the first three-game win streak of the season for MSU. The Bulldogs have posted rebound margins of +20, +16, and +10 in the trio of wins along with an average scoring margin of 22.7 in the same time frame. Blocking also remains a priority for State, as MSU recorded seven swats on the afternoon and continue to rank fifth in the NCAA in blocks per game (7.7). Sophomore Jarvis Varnado ranked third in the nation with 4.7 bpg before today's five-block performance.
Next up for the Bulldogs is a trip to Jackson this Saturday, Jan. 5, to take on Lafayette College in the Mississippi Coliseum. Tipoff for the event is set for 2 p.m. CT and the game will not be televised.
