Tide Holds Off Bulldogs For 87-85 Double Overtime Victory

Saturday, February 21

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

2:00 PM

Mississippi State

(17-10, 7-5SEC)

Alabama

(14-12, 4-8SEC)

OT 1

OT 2

Mississippi State

Alabama

Bulldogs Begin Demanding Road Stretch At Rival Ole Miss Wednesday

Tide Holds Off Bulldogs For 87-85 Double Overtime Victory

February 21, 2009 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: hailstate.com

? Official Statistics
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Double overtime basketball games continue to be tough luck outings for the Mississippi State men's basketball team. For the second time in two weeks, the Bulldogs fell in double overtime, this time losing 87-85 to Alabama Saturday afternoon in Coleman Coliseum.

Last week, MSU lost a 97-94, double overtime decision at home to LSU. Thus, the Bulldogs have now lost three of their last four games in league play, all but slamming the door shut on any hopes of repeating as Western Division champions.

MSU fell to 17-10 overall and 7-5 in league play, while Alabama improved to 14-12 and 4-8. For the Tide, it was a reversal of fortunes, as Alabama beat MSU for the first time in its last six series meetings with their neighboring rivals.

The Bulldogs actually held the lead for most of the game's final half. MSU enjoyed a 30-29 halftime advantage. A 7-2 run to open the half pushed that lead to 37-31 with 18:19 remaining. MSU would maintain that defensive intensity, opening up the game's largest lead at 49-40 with 13:56 remaining.

From there, the Tide reeled off a 12-3 run. An Anthony Brock layup tied the game 52-52 with 8:09 remaining.

After that, Alabama actually held two different four-point leads before MSU battled back to force overtime. Jarvis Varnado blocked a shot attempt by Mikhail Torrance to run out regulation time.

In the first overtime, UA built a four-point lead again and held that push until Barry Stewart tied the game 74-74 on a 3-point attempt with 1:05 remaining. This time, the Bulldogs had the potential final shot, as Stewart missed both a jumper and putback attempt.

In the second overtime, back-to-back 3-point baskets by UA's Alonzo Gee broke the Bulldogs' back. Still down one, the Bulldogs could not get two different shot attempts to go down in the final 11 seconds.

For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 27 of 80 shots from the field (33.8 percent), 12 of 39 shots from 3-point range (30.8 percent) and 19 of 26 shots from the foul line (73.1). The Tide hit 26 of 66 shots from the field (39.4 percent), 4 of 11 shots from 3-point range (36.4 percent) and 31 of 39 shots from the foul line (79.5 percent).

Alabama held a 54-48 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 16 assists and 14 turnovers, while the Tide had 13 assists and 18 turnovers. The 39 3-point shot attempts represent a new school record for the Bulldogs.

Gee paced the Tide with 28 points, while Senario Hillman added 21 points. Jamychal Green and Demetrius Jemison were also in double figures for UA, each with 11 points. Green had a team-high 12 rebounds, while Gee had 10 rebounds.

For the Bulldogs, Stewart led the way with 20 points. Dee Bost added 17 points, while Varnado scored 16 points, before fouling out in the first overtime. Ravern Johnson scored 14 points, while Phil Turner added 10 points. Varnado had 11 rebounds and eight rebounds, while Stewart had a season-high 10 rebounds. For Stewart, it was his first double-double of the season.

MSU remains on the road for a Wednesday night tussle with Eastern Division rival Tennessee. The Bulldogs and Volunteers start at 8 p.m. CT. That contest will be televised regionally by Raycom Sports. MSU then hosts Auburn at 5 p.m. CT Saturday. That contest will be televised regionally by Fox Sports Net South.