State Drops 63-52 Decision To Cougars In Legends Classic; Falls For First Time In 2008-09

Friday, November 28

Newark, N.J. (Prudential Center)

4:30 PM

Mississippi State

(5-1)

Washington State

(5-0)

Mississippi State

Washington State

State Drops 63-52 Decision To Cougars In Legends Classic; Falls For First Time In 2008-09

November 28, 2008 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

? Official Statistics
? Official Statistics (PDF)

NEWARK, N.J. - A spirited second-half rally fell short, as Mississippi State dropped a 63-52 decision to Washington State in a semifinal round matchup of the Legends Classic Friday night in the Prudential Center.

The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 17 midway through the second half. A 9-0 run helped MSU cut the deficit to six before a more-experienced Cougars squad pulled away for the final margin.

MSU lost for the first time on the young season, falling to 5-1. Washington State, a member of the Pac 10 Conference, improved to 5-0. The Bulldogs will play Texas Tech in a consolation game at the Legends Classic Saturday. That game is slated for a 4:30 p.m. CT tip-off.

“Our lack of toughness got exposed tonight,” MSU coach Rick Stansbury said. “We knew they were a veteran team. They were more physical than we were. We had too many possessions, where we made mistakes. They are good in the half court. You can't afford to give them extra possessions.”

The Cougars entered the contest, allowing only 38 points per game in the contest. Picked to finish in the upper division of the Pac 10, the Cougars are trying for a third straight season of 26 or more wins.

“We had too many bad turnovers,” Stansbury said. “(Washington State) won this game with patience and discipline.”

The lead changed hands on a couple of occasions in the opening half. A Barry Stewart 3-point basket gave MSU its largest lead of the afternoon, at 18-15. WSU ended the half on a 20-8 run. That run including a pair of baskets from Aron Baynes, who was 6 of 6 for the victors in the opening half.

In the second half, WSU's physical defense in the opening stages allowed the Cougars to stretch the advantage to 52-35 with less than 10 minutes remaining. Another 3-point basket by Stewart sparked a 9-0 run as the Bulldogs closed the deficit to 52-44. MSU would then cut the lead to six points, before making turnovers on three of the game's next four possessions.

Kodi Augustus, Stewart and Romero Osby each had 10 points to pace the Bulldogs. Ravern Johnson added seven.

Klay Thompson paced the Cougars with 19 points on 7 of 14 shooting and also had 10 boards. Baynes added 17 points on 8 of 10 shooting for Washington State.

The Bulldogs had their worst shooting night of the young season. MSU was 15 of 46 from the field (32.6 percent), 6 of 14 from 3-point range (42.9 percent) and 16 of 23 at the foul line (69.6 percent). On the other hand, WSU was 25 of 58 from the field (43.9 percent), 2 of 13 from 3-point range (15.4 percent) and 11 of 15 from the foul line (73.3 percent).

Washington State held a 35-31 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs were credited with seven assists but turned the ball over 21 times. MSU was credited with eight blocked shots, including four by Jarvis Varnado.

After completing Legends Classic action Saturday, the Bulldogs return home to prepare for final exams. MSU and Alabama State are scheduled for a Noon start next Saturday (Dec. 6) in the Humphrey Coliseum.