Mississippi State
17-8, 8-3
Ole Miss
18-7, 4-7
State Falls To Rebels On Road, 74-63
February 20, 2008 | Men's Basketball
? Official Statistics
? Official Statistics (PDF)
OXFORD, Miss. - Jamont Gordon contributed at least 20 points for the 11th time this season but could not lift Mississippi State (17-8, 8-3 Southeastern Conference) to a win Wednesday night, as the Bulldogs fell 74-63 on the road to in-state rival Ole Miss (18-7, 4-7).
Gordon also claimed six rebounds in the loss, as fellow co-captain Charles Rhodes hit 5-of-11 shots from the field to score 13 points and grab five rebounds. Sophomore Barry Stewart scored 11 to go along with eight rebounds, and defensive presence Jarvis Varnado notched six points, rebounds, and blocks apiece.
Leading the Rebels to victory was freshman Chris Warren who recorded a game-high 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting while sophomore Eniel Polynice scored 14 and senior center Dwayne Curtis pitched in 10 to round out Ole Miss players in double digits.
Both teams began with a hot shooting hand, as the first nine points from either team all came from behind the arc. MSU hit eight of its first nine shots to claim an early 23-16 lead at the 12:19 mark. Ole Miss then responded strongly with a 15-2 run, seven of those from senior Kenny Williams. The Rebels would take a 35-30 lead into halftime.
The second half would follow the momentum of the first, as Ole Miss would consistently capitalize on missed opportunities by the Bulldogs. Shooting just 52.4% from the charity stripe for the game, State saw the Rebel lead slowly increase until the Rebels led 51-40 at the 10:55 mark.
MSU would then catch fire from long range, as Gordon and Ben Hansbrough combined for three threes to pull the score to 61-57 with 4:51 remaining in the game. The Rebels again responded in a big way, outscoring MSU 13-6 the rest of the way as Warren hit a three at the 1:19 mark to push the lead to 72-59 and ice the game.
Having lost only three decisions in its last 15 contests and continuing to lead the SEC's Western Division, Mississippi State will now travel to challenge the South Carolina Gamecocks (12-13, 4-7) on Saturday in Columbia. The contest will be televised by Raycom Sports, and tipoff for the matchup is set for 3 p.m. CT.
