Mississippi State
Lindsey Wilson (Exh.)
Basketball Bulldogs Win Exhibition Affair
November 06, 2010 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State scored the final 11 points Saturday afternoon, pulling away for a 75-66 win over Lindsey Wilson College in a men's basketball exhibition game played inside the Humphrey Coliseum.
The teams played a nip-and-tuck battle Saturday with the homestanding Bulldogs trying a number of lineups and combinations against the Blue Raiders, an NAIA ball club based out of Columbia, Kentucky.
“Lindsey Wilson really has a nice team,” said MSU head coach Rick Stansbury, whose Bulldogs are now 22-2 in exhibition play in his 13 seasons. “ I have known (Lindsey Wilson) Coach (Paul) Peck for a long time. It was a good game for us to have to guard defensively against several different things that they did.
“Obviously, we were not very good defensively. We struggled to get into a rhythm on both ends of the floor. Defensively, we were better in the second half. In the first half, their two guards pretty much created things and drove to the basket. We didn't do anything other than foul.”
The Bulldogs sprinted to a quick 7-2 advantage as Ravern Johnson scored the first seven points for the Maroon and White. The Blue Raiders responded with a 16-6 run to open a 18-13 advantage with 11:02 left in the first half.
An Elgin Bailey dunk sparked the crowd and brought the Bulldogs back even at 18-18. The Blue Raiders continued to hold the upper hand, eventually easing out to a 34-27 lead on a Justin Archie fast-break layup with 2:37 left before halftime.
The Bulldogs finished with a flourish, reeling off seven straight points before falling back to a 36-34 halftime deficit.
MSU again opened the final half on an offensive run. A Johnson 3-point basket capped a half-opening 16-5 run, giving the hosts a 50-41 advantage with 13:37 left.
Behind limited turnovers and efficient offensive play, the Blue Raiders slowly chipped away. MSU still held some type of lead until a Charles Baker jumper placed the guests on top at 62-61 with 6:50 left in regulation.
The teams were then tied at 62, 64 and 66 before a pair of Kodi Augustus free throws gave the Bulldogs the lead for good, at 68-66 with 2:30 remaining.
The Blue Raiders were held the final 3:25 without a basket. A 3-point by Augustus and baseline jumper from Brian Bryant helped the Maroon and White close out the hard-earned win.
For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 24 of 47 shots from the field (51.1 percent), 6 of 18 shots from 3-point range (33.3 percent) and 21 of 35 shots from the foul line (60.0 percent). The Blue Raiders hit 22 of 61 shots from the field (36.1 percent), 6 of 19 shots from 3-point range (31.6 percent) and 16 of 21 shots from the foul line (76.2 percent).
MSU held a 37-35 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 11 assists and 14 turnovers, while the Blue Raiders had eight assists and 10 turnovers.
Johnson finished with a team-high 25 points, including a 9-of-15 night from the field, with three 3-point baskets. Augustus had a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Bailey added 12 points in 20 minutes of play.
Kalen Kimberland paced LWC with 21 points. Archie added 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
The Bulldogs open the 2010-11 regular season with a 7 p.m. tip against Ohio Valley Conference member Tennessee State Friday.
