Mississippi State
8-7 (0-1)
Alabama
9-6 (1-0)
Mississippi State Drops SEC Lidlifter To 'Bama
January 08, 2011 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Alabama pulled away from Mississippi State in the second half as the Basketball Bulldogs dropped a 75-57 decision to the Crimson Tide in the Southeastern Conference men's basketball season opener for both teams played before a season-best 7,121 Saturday afternoon in the Humphrey Coliseum.
The Bulldogs (8-7 overall, 0-1 SEC) only trailed by one point at halftime. The teams were tied at 31-31 before the Crimson Tide (9-6, 1-0) found a second gear. A 22-7 run by the guests removed all doubt from the contest.
MSU fell to 10-3 in SEC openers under Coach Rick Stansbury. The Bulldogs had won three straight conference openers. Alabama won by it largest margin of victory in this building, since the Crimson Tide claimed a 76-55 victory in 1987. The Maroon and White had won five straight meetings on this campus.
"I liked where we were, being down a point at halftime," Stansbury said. "Honestly, I didn't think we couldn't have played any worse. Then the second half proved me wrong. We could not a find an offensive rhythm. We could do not do things in transition. They made shots from point-blank range, and we did not."
For the first time this season, the Bulldogs were playing with the services of point guard Dee Bost. Bost played 33 minutes, scoring 14 points, dishing out five assists and making three turnovers. The contest also marked a return to the lineup for Renardo Sidney, who drew his second start. Sidney scored two points on a 1-of-8 night from the field in 26 minutes of action.
Both teams struggled through a horrendous opening half from the field. A Riley Benock 3-point basket opened the MSU scoring and actually gave the squad its largest lead of the afternoon. The Crimson Tide answered with the game's next six points.
A 3-point play by Andrew Steele allowed the Crimson Tide to open an 18-9 advantage with 8:42 left in the opening half. The Bulldogs closed within 20-16 on a 3-point basket by Ravern Johnson.
The Maroon and White finally forced a 24-24 tie on a Jalen Steele jumper with 2:47 left before halftime. Alabama broke back on top, carrying a 27-26 lead into the intermission.
In the opening half, the Bulldogs only hit 2-of-11 shots from 3-point range and 2-of-8 shots from the foul line.
The Bulldogs grabbed their last lead on a Bost 3-point basket, making it 31-29 with 18:57 left. The Crimson Tide scored the game's next six points and did not trail again.
Back-to-back
baskets by JaMychal Green capped the 22-7 run and placed the Crimson Tide on
top, 53-38 with 9:08 left in regulation.
The Bulldogs drew no closer than 10
points the rest of the way, as the Crimson Tide shot 60 percent from the floor
in the game's final half.
"We are in a hole but all we can do is keep digging," Stansbury said. "We have to keep working hard to find a way to turn the corner."
For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 21 of 62 shots from the field (33.9 percent), 5 of 24 shots from 3-point range (20.8 percent) and 10 of 20 shots from the foul line (50.0 percent). The Crimson Tide hit 32 of 65 shots from the field (49.2 percent), 1 of 8 shots from 3-point range (12.5 percent) and 10 of 16 shots from the foul line (62.5 percent).
UA held a 43-40 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had nine assists and 15 turnovers, while the Crimson Tide had 10 assists and 11 turnovers.
Bost was followed in double figures by Kodi Augustus (11 points) and Wendell Lewis (10 points). Augustus had his seventh double-double of the season, as he pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds. For Lewis, his day marked a new career scoring high.
Alabama received a game-high 17 points from Trevor Releford. Green finished with a double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds). Charvez Davis scored 13 points, while Tony Mitchell scored 11 points. Chris Hines had 10 rebounds.
MSU returns to
action Thursday with a road trip to in-state rival Ole Miss. The Bulldogs and
Rebels tip at 8 p.m. inside the Tad Smith Coliseum in a contest which will be
televised nationally by ESPN2.
