Mississippi State
2-1
South Alabama
0-1
Bulldogs Bounce Back With 80-65 Triumph Over Jaguars
November 12, 2011 | Men's Basketball
And doing a bulk of the damage was junior forward Arnett Moultrie, who posted his second double-double of the year with 28 points and 13 rebounds.
"We shared the basketball. We moved the basketball," MSU coach Rick Stansbury said. "We were quicker. When you're small, you're typically quicker."
With junior forward Renardo Sidney out with a groin injury, the Bulldogs were forced to go to a smaller lineup and play a lot of four-guard sets.
"We wanted to come out aggressive against them today," said Moultrie. "We got off to a slow start against Akron, and we did not want to do that again."
The Jaguars kept the game close for the opening seven minutes, but a Jalen Steele jumper with 13:35 remaining sparked a 33-18 run to end the half. State went into the locker room with momentum and a 44-29 lead.
The second-half told the same tale, as the Dogs continued to dominate. As for the last 11:37 of the first-half, the Dog's defense continued to hold a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game, only allowing the Jaguars to get as close as 11.
Starring along-side Moultrie was the senior-freshman combo of Dee Bost and Rodney Hood. Bost turned in 16 points on 6-13 shooting, while Hood put up a season-high 15 points on 6-11 shooting, including 2-of-4 from three-point range.
"I got in a groove today," Hood said. "I didn't play uptight like I've been playing."
South Alabama out-performed Mississippi State shooting during the game, putting up 45.6 percent as to 40.6 percent from the Dogs. However, Moultrie's impressive effort proved to be the determining factor.
"(Moultrie) is a great player who plays every game the same way," said Stansbury. "He doesn't get too high; he doesn't get too low. Today he made baskets and still rebounded the basketball."
For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 8 of 27 from three (29.6 percent) and 16 of 21 from the charity stripe (76.2 percent). The Jaguars hit 4 of 10 from three (40.0 percent) and 9 of 11 (81.8 percent).
South Alabama received a team-leading 16 points from Augustine Rubit, along with nine rebounds. Also putting in solid performances for the Jaguars were Mychal Ammons with 15 points and nine rebounds and Freddie Goldstein with 11 points.
The Bulldogs will head to New York City next for the final rounds of the 2K Classic, as they will match up with Texas A&M Thursday, Nov. 17 at 6 p.m.
