Bulldogs Fall To Rebels In Tight Battle, 67-63

Saturday, January 31

Starkville

12:00 PM

Mississippi State

(14-7, 4-2SEC)

Ole Miss

(12-9, 3-4SEC)

Ole Miss

Mississippi State

Hot Shooting Bulldogs Cruise Past Bonnies, 105-53, At The Hump

Bulldogs Fall To Rebels In Tight Battle, 67-63

January 31, 2009 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

? Official Statistics
? Official Statistics (PDF)
? Postgame Notes & Quotes (PDF)

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State could not overcome a strong second half by Ole Miss, as the Bulldogs dropped a 67-63 decision in a Southeastern Conference men's basketball game Saturday afternoon in the Humphrey Coliseum.

With the defeat, MSU fell to 14-7 overall and 4-2 in conference play. The Bulldogs slipped out of a tie for the Western Division lead. Ole Miss improved to 12-9 and 3-4. A Humphrey Coliseum crowd of 10,475 (fourth largest in school history) saw the Rebels snap a 10-game losing streak inside this building.

Saturday proved much different as Ole Miss won here for the first time since 1998. The Rebels overcame a 37-33 halftime deficit, taking the lead for good at the 14:33 mark of the game's final half. The Rebels extended the lead to eight points (63-55) with 3:43 remaining. Ole Miss then held tough, snuffing out the Bulldogs' final threat.

“They did a really good job of defending us,” MSU junior center Jarvis Varnado said. “Now we have to find way to put this behind us and get ready for the next game. As team, we got to find a way to bounce back. You just cant underestimate any team in this league. You have to always be ready to play.”

MSU opened the game by scoring the first nine points in the contest. A 3-point basket by Phil Turner extended the lead to 12-2. The Bulldogs would maintain that early momentum, taking the game's largest lead at 25-12 on a 3-pointer by Barry Stewart with 10:32 left in the opening half.

From there, the Rebels pieced together a solid stretch to get back into the contest. A 3-point basket by Terrico White capped a 16-2 UM run and gave the Rebels their first lead, at 28-27 with 5:18 left before halftime. The teams were then tied three times before a Ravern Johnson trey gave MSU a 37-33 advantage at halftime.

The Rebels opened the game's final half on a 15-7 run and did not trail the remainder of the way.

“We had a difficult time finding an offensive rhythm in the second half,” said MSU head coach Rick Stansbury. “Ole Miss took the lead and we could not find an answer. Give credit to them for fighting back and making plays on the road.”

For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 17 of 54 shots from the field (31.5 percent), 9 of 31 shots from 3-point range (29.0 percent) and 20 of 26 shots from the foul line (76.9 percent). The Rebels hit 24 of 58 shots (41.4 percent), 9 of 25 shots from 3-point range (36.0 percent) and 10 of 15 shots from the foul line (66.7 percent).

The Bulldogs were out-rebounded 42-33 on the boards. MSU had 12 assists and 12 turnovers, while UM had eight assists and 17 turnovers.

Terrico White paced Ole Miss with 18 points, while David Huertas added 16 points. Also in double figures were Zach Graham with 13 points and Malcolm White with 11 points. Murphy Holloway had a team-high seven rebounds for the Rebels.

Ravern Johnson paced MSU with 20 points - 15 coming in the opening half. Dee Bost followed with 13 points, while Barry Stewart added 10 points. Jarvis Varnado had a team-high 15 rebounds and one block. For Varnado, it was his second most rebounds in a game this season.

The Bulldogs return to the road for their next conference matchup. MSU plays Kentucky in a 6 p.m. CT start Tuesday night in Rupp Arena. The Bulldogs then return home to host Arkansas at 2 p.m. Saturday. Both of those contests will be televised regionally by Raycom Sports.