Mississippi State
(18-8, 6-5SEC)
#2 Kentucky
(25-1, 10-1SEC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | OT 1 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 32 | 35 | 14 | 81 |
| Mississippi State | 29 | 38 | 8 | 75 |
Mississippi State Gives #2 Kentucky Strong Scare Before Falling 81-75 In Overtime
February 16, 2010 | Men's Basketball
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STARKVILLE, Miss. - Despite a valiant effort, Mississippi State fell to No. 2 Kentucky 81-75 in front of a record crowd of 10,788 at Humphrey Coliseum Tuesday evening in overtime.
The Bulldogs (18-8, 6-5) held a 67-60 advantage with just three minutes remaining in the game, but UK held State scoreless for the remainder of regulation to push the game to overtime, MSU's second straight.
Leading MSU offensively for the second-consecutive game was sophomore guard Dee Bost, who scored 22 points to go along with five rebounds. Junior Kodi Augustus recorded 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting, senior guard Barry Stewart notched 16 and a career-high tying five steal. All-SEC forward Jarvis Varnado scored 10 to go along with his 5 boards before fouling with 5:04 to play.
Junior Patrick Patterson and freshman DeMarcus Cousins paced UK with 19 points.
After trading early buckets, Kentucky's strength on the boards helped push the team to a 32-29 halftime advantage. The Wildcats were winning the battle of the boards 29-14 at the break.
Bost set the tone for Mississippi State in the second half, forcing a quick UK turnover and returning it for a quick layup to pull the UK lead to just one. Two treys from Stewart bumped MSU into a 37-36 lead with 17:57 remaining. With Varnado returning to the floor with two fouls, the star picked up two more within five seconds of each other and was quickly pulled until the game's waning minutes.
With Varnado on the bench, State managed to compete well throughout the game's second half. The teams traded leads throughout the rest of the half, as a Varnado layup with 5:38 left gave MSU a 61-58 advantage. He received his fifth foul with 5:08 left, eliminating his immense post defense for State.
Despite playing without Varnado and leading scorer Ravern Johnson, who was serving a one-game suspension, State held its biggest lead with just 3:00 remaining at 67-60. The Bulldogs would not score again in regulation, however, as Patterson tied the game up with a long jumper to tie the game at 67-67 with 41 seconds remaining. After a missed Stewart trey with :6.2 left, Liggins got inside Kentucky's three-point line but missed the shot as the game went to overtime.
The mounting foul trouble cost MSU dearly in the game's extra session. Despite losing its second starter in Barry Stewart to fouls, Bost hit a 3 to tie the game at 70-70 with 3:32 left. An Osby layup tied the score again at 72 with 1:38 left, but the Wildcats outscored State 11-3 on foul shots in the game's last minute to secure the victory.
"That was an unbelievable effort by our players," MSU coach Rick Stansbury said. "They find ways to be 25-1. I couldn't be more proud of our guys even though we lost the basketball game. We are all hurt and very disappointed. As a coach and a player, all you can ask is to leave everything you have between the lines. We overcame so many obstacles."
The loss snaps Mississippi State's history-breaking three-game winning streak against the Wildcats and holds Stansbury one win shy of breaking 250 for his career. UK also ended MSU's home winning streak at 11 and finished the game with a 52-35 rebounding advantage.
Mississippi State hits the road to face the LSU Tigers (9-16, 0-11) on Saturday. The game will be televised regionally on the SEC Network, and tipoff is set for 3 p.m.
