Mississippi State
4-2
East Tennessee State
4-4
Bulldogs Drop Close One To ETSU, 63-62
December 11, 2010 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State's last-season layup attempt failed to go in as the Basketball Bulldogs dropped a 63-62 decision to East Tennessee State in a men's basketball game played Saturday night at the Humphrey Coliseum.
The Bulldogs fell to 4-2 on their season-opening nine-game homestand. Saturday's defeat was the opening of a grueling stretch where the Bulldogs will play five games in five days, including an exhibition contest in Jackson.
The contest was close throughout. Neither team led by more than six. There were a total of 14 ties and nine lead changes. Still, the Bulldogs led by four late and did not trail in the contest from the 3:45 mark to the 11 second mark.
For ETSU (4-4), Justin Tubbs hit the front of end of a two-shot foul opportunity with 27 seconds left, cutting the MSU lead to 62-61. Tubbs missed the back end but teammate Curtis Wilkerson snagged the rebound. Micah Williams hit the eventual game-winner on a shot in the lane with 11 seconds left.
The Bulldogs managed a good look on the other end. Kodi Augustus was fed underneath and his layup attempt rolled over the iron with a second left.
“We have to mentally finish games,” MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said. “The final stretch was not smart basketball there. We have to find a way to mentally finish a game. There is no excuse for some of the decisions we made in the final couple of minutes.”
A pair of free throws by Ravern Johnson placed the Bulldogs on top, 60-59 with 3:45 left. The Bucs had a turnover and then a pair of misses before Tubbs went to the line and hit one of two free throws to tie the game with 1:20 left.
On the offensive end, the Bulldogs took a 62-60 lead on two free throws from Augustus with 52 seconds left. The Bulldogs then got a defensive stop but turned the ball back over in transition.
“The rebounding was a big difference in the game,” Stansbury said. “Still, it should not have come down to the last possession. Right now, there is no margin for error with this team. We have to play hard and consistent for 40 minutes. A missed free throw block out … plays like that is costing this team dearly right now.”
The Bulldogs held the upper hand for the majority of the first 20 minutes. A tip-in by Augustus ran the advantage to 27-21 with 5:26 left in the half. ETSU then reeled off a 9-2 run for only its second lead of the game - 30-29 after a 3-point make by Tubbs.
In the opening half, the Bucs shot 60.9 percent from the floor, including a remarkable 6-for-10 run from 3-point land. Despite all of that, the Bulldogs held a 38-35 lead at halftime.
In the final half, things turned much more defensive. The Bulldogs only had six field goals in the final half.
The Bucs grabbed a 46-43 lead on a free throw by Williams with 15:03 left. A 10-3 run by the Maroon and White gave the Bulldogs a 53-49 advantage with 8:02 left.
Still, the Bulldogs cold not hold the lead as ETSU snapped a two-game losing streak - winning the middle of three games against the Southeastern Conference this year.
For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 20 of 46 shots from the field (43.5 percent), 5 of 23 shots from 3-point range (21.7 percent) and 17 of 20 shots from the foul line (85.0 percent). The Bucs hit 24 of 48 shots from the field (50.0 percent), 8 of 16 shots from 3-point range (50.0 percent) and 7 of 14 shots from the foul line (50.0 percent).
ETSU held a 35-22 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 11 assists and nine turnovers, while the Bucs had 10 assists and 16 turnovers.
Johnson paced the Bulldogs with 23 points. Augustus added 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
ETSU received 20 points from Mike Smith and 18 points from Williams. Smith also had a game-high nine rebounds.
The Bulldogs host North Carolina A&T at 1 p.m. Sunday.
