Mississippi State
(2-0)
Louisiana-Monroe
(1-1)
State Cruises Past ULM, 78-49
November 17, 2008 | Men's Basketball
? Official Statistics
Stewart finished the game 6 of 9 from the floor along with an assist, block and steal. Reigning National Defensive Player of the Year Jarvis Varnado, who led the country in blocks a year ago with 157, swatted nine shots by halftime and finished with that total to go with 11 rebounds for the game. Outstanding freshman point guard Dee Bost handed out seven assists and shot 3 of 6 from behind the arc to score 14 points. Sophomore big men Elgin Bailey and Kodi Augustus notched nine and eight boards, respectively, while sophomore shooting specialist Ravern Johnson grabbed four rebounds and scored 10 points. Augustus also scored a career-high 14 points. State suffocated MSU quickly stormed out to a 55-35 lead in the second stanza on an 18-4 run, capped by a made three-point conversion from the charity stripe by Bailey. From that point forward the Bulldogs dominated the game, finishing on a 10-2 streak. “Louisiana-Monroe has several strengths, including their guard play, which showed tonight,” MSU coach Rick Stansbury said. “In the second half we controlled the glass and defended better, and that was the difference in the game.” Currently ranking as the Southeastern Conference leader in field-goal percentage defense after ranking second in the nation in that category a year ago, the Bulldogs held ULM to just a 20-of-69 (28.2%) effort from the floor. MSU, which ranks atop the SEC in three-point percentage and blocks, torched the Warhawks on 9-of-21 shooting from behind the arc and swatted a total of 12 shots on the defensive end. State now moves to 12-2 all-time versus LA-Monroe and 66-13 against current members of the Sun Belt conference.
? Official Statistics (PDF)
? Postgame Notes & Quotes (PDF)
