Mississippi State
(21-10, 9-7SEC)
#16 Tennessee
(23-7, 11-5SEC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 38 | 37 | 75 |
| Mississippi State | 21 | 38 | 59 |
State Cagers Drop Regular-Season Finale To No. 16 Vols, 75-59
March 06, 2010 | Men's Basketball
• Official Statistics
• Official Statistics (PDF)
• Postgame Notes & Quotes (PDF)
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Two remarkable Bulldogs endured their final loss of regulation play Saturday evening.
On Senior Night, the Mississippi State Bulldogs (21-10, 9-7 SEC) said goodbye to all-SEC seniors Jarvis Varnado and Barry Stewart with a 75-59 home loss at the hands of 16th-ranked Tennessee (23-7, 11-5).
Standing as the NCAA all-time career blocks leader and only player in history to achieve 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 blocks in a career, Varnado scored 11 and claimed 6 rebounds in his final game of regular-season play.
Barry Stewart, an all-SEC standout who has drained more treys (269) than any other Bulldog player in history, recorded 6 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
For the second time this season, junior Kodi Augustus led the team in scoring, with 15 on a 3-of-5 effort from 3-point range. He also registered 5 rebounds and a game-high 3 blocks.
J.P. Prince led the Vols with 16 points, while center Brian Williams totaled 10 points and 13 rebounds.
The Bulldogs were faced with a significant challenge from tip. Starting the game scoreless in the game's first 6:11, State saw Tennessee storm out to a 17-0 lead. A Williams layup with a second remaining in the half pushed the UT advantage to an identical 17-point advantage at the half, as the Vols held a 38-21 lead. State's 21 halftime points was its lowest this season.
MSU played with more determination in the second half, opening with an 8-2 run sparked by back-to-back treys from junior Ravern Johnson and Augustus. Feeling the pressure, Tennessee led just 40-29 at the 18:24 mark. The Vols' first basket of the second half came on a dunk from Prince that ignited an 8-3 run.
After six chances throughout the game to pull the UT lead to single digits, a Romero Osby jumper finally closed the gap to 44-53 with 10:05 left. A final 10-2 push from the Vols thwarted any comeback hopes.
Tennessee has now won three-straight at Humphrey Coliseum.
"They came in here and hit us in the mouth early," Stansbury said. "We didn't get up and respond very well. It happened so quickly, we couldn't stop it. I never felt like we had any emotion. I understand that once they hit you in the mouth, you lose emotion. But we never had it. I don't have any answer for it; this team hasn't done this before."
Mississippi State now turns its attention toward the SEC Tournament in Nashville, which for the Bulldogs begins on Friday with the second round at 6:30 p.m.
