Mississippi State
13-3, 1-0
#14 Ole Miss
12-3, 0-1
Bulldogs Upset #14 Rebels On The Road With 80-75 Victory In Oxford
January 09, 2010 | Men's Basketball
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OXFORD, Miss. - Mississippi State rallied from a nine-point second-half deficit to upset 14th-ranked Ole Miss 80-75 in a Southeastern Conference men's basketball game played Saturday afternoon in the Tad Smith Coliseum.
The Bulldogs closed out a two-week, three-game road trip by knocking off their in-state arch-rivals in the first conference game of the season. MSU improved to 13-3 overall and 1-0 in league play, while Ole Miss fell to 12-3 and 0-1.
For MSU, Coach Rick Stansbury improved to 10-2 in conference openers and also evened his personal mark at 6-6 inside this arena. The Bulldogs mentor is now 17-7 in his 12-year coaching career against the Rebels.
Dee Bost led the way for the Bulldogs with a career-high 25 points, including 17 in the game's final half. Defensively, Jarvis Varnado continued his tear with 12 rebounds and six blocked shots. Kodi Augustus also added a double double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
"Anytime you go on the road and win this league, it is special," MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said. "We beat a very good Ole Miss team. What I am most proud of is the way we came back and won the game. I thought we won the game because we were the toughest team out there.
"This is a special win and a great way to start league play."
M-State started on fire, hitting five of their first six shots from 3-point range. The Bulldogs sprinted to a 20-9 advantage - their largest lead of the game - with 12:17 left before halftime.
Ole Miss scrapped back rather quickly, reeling off a 13-3 run to cut the deficit to 23-22. Thanks in part to defensive pressure which forced 11 first-half turnovers, the Rebels then sprung ahead. A 3-point basket by Chris Warren capped an 8-0 run as the Rebels bolted to a 35-28 advantage with 4:47 left before halftime.
A couple of defensive stops late in the half allowed the Bulldogs to hang tough. Ole Miss carried a 42-37 lead into the intermission.
The Rebels opened the second half with a 13-9 run to open up their largest lead of the game, at 55-46 with 13:33 remaining.
The Bulldogs then clawed back thanks to increased defensive intensity, strong free throw shooting and foul trouble for the Rebels. MSU had a stretch of eight straight made free throws before a Jarvis Varnado tip-in tied the teams at 59-59 with 9:12 remaining.
The lead changed hands five times before the Bulldogs seized control for good. The Bulldogs opened a 72-65 advantage thanks to a 9-0 run of their own. A 3-point basket by Ravern Johnson capped the monster run and helped guide the Bulldogs into the win column.
For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 24 of 57 shots from the field (42.1 percent), 10 of 22 shots from 3-point range (45.5 percent) and 22 of 33 shots from the foul line (66.7 percent). The Rebels hit 29 of 72 shots from the field (40.3 percent), 9 of 23 shots from 3-point range (39.1 percent) and 8 of 13 shots from the foul line (61.5 percent).
M-State held a 46-39 rebounding advantage. MSU had 12 assists and 15 turnovers, while UM had 15 assists and nine turnovers.
After Bost, Johnson followed with 15 points for the Bulldogs. Barry Stewart joined Augustus in double figures with 11 points. Warren led the Rebels with 15 points, followed by Zach Graham with 14 points and Terrance Henry with 12 points. Graham also had a team-high seven rebounds.
The Bulldogs return home for a pair of conference games this week in the Humphrey Coliseum. MSU will host Arkansas at 6 p.m. Thursday and Georgia at 2 p.m. Saturday. The MSU-Arkansas game will be televised nationally by ESPNU, while the MSU-Georgia game will be televised nationally by either ESPN or ESPN2.
