Mississippi State
3-0
Detroit Mercy
1-3
Bulldogs Down Titans To Move To 3-0
November 22, 2010 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State matched a season high with 10 3-point baskets as the Bulldogs defeated the University of Detroit 82-76 in a men's basketball game played Monday night in the Humphrey Coliseum.
The Bulldogs converted 50 percent of their shot attempts in the final half and never trailed over the final 28 minutes of play. With the victory, M-State is now 3-0 on its season-opening nine-game homestand.
“Nothing comes easy for this team,” MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said. “However, I am proud of the fact that we continue to find ways to win. Obviously, we have to get better. We played real well in spurts tonight.
“Each game, we have lapses both mentally and physically. We have to get to the point where we don't have those letdowns.”
One Bulldog not letting down is senior sharp shooter Ravern Johnson. Johnson scored 25 points on a 10-for-15 night from the floor, including three 3-pointers. Johnson has now gone 19 points or better in each of the first three games of the season.
In a role reversal of Friday's 76-74 win over Appalachian State, the Bulldogs built the big lead and held on for dear life. Johnson's final trey ran the Maroon and White advantage to a game-best 12 points - at 73-61 with 5:41 remaining.
Still, the Titans (1-3) crawled back within 76-73 on a Jason Calliste layup with 1:14 remaining. The Titans got no closer. Again, it was a three-point spread at 79-76 when UD's Chase Simon missed the back end of two free throw attempts with nine seconds remaining.
Jalen Steele hit two free throws and Johnson one more to close out the victory.
Both teams were hot in the opening half. The Bulldogs hit their first four 3-point attempts and sprinted out to an 18-12 advantage. The Titans reeled off 10 straight points to take a game-high 22-18 advantage with 12:44 left before halftime.
Back-to-back layups by Riley Benock gave the Maroon and White the lead for good. An 11-2 run placed the Bulldogs on top 38-28 in the closing minutes of the opening half. The Bulldogs nursed that lead, easing into halftime with a 40-32 advantage.
The Titans closed within 48-46 with 14:00 left. A 25-15 run by the hosts followed and was sparked by a dunk from Johnson, a 3-point basket by Johnson and solid defensive and offensive play from Brian Bryant. Steele also hit a critical trey during that game-deciding run.
For the contest, the Bulldogs 31 of 67 shots from the field (46.3 percent), 10 of 27 shots from 3-point range (37.0 percent) and 10 of 16 shots from the foul line (62.5 percent). The Titans hit 32 of 65 shots from the field (49.2 percent), 4 of 14 shots from 3-point range (28.6 percent) and 8 of 15 shots from the foul line (53.3 percent).
MSU held a 41-35 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 14 assists and 14 turnovers, while the Titans had six assists and 14 turnovers.
Johnson was followed by Benock with 13 points and Augustus with 10 points. Augustus just missed his third double-double with a team-high nine rebounds.
Calliste paced Detroit with 20 points. Also in double figures were Simon with 17 points, Ray McCallum with 16 points and Nick Minnerath with 12 points. Eli Holman had a team-high 10 rebounds.
The Bulldogs host Troy at 6 p.m. Friday.
