Mississippi State
5-1
Louisiana-Monroe
0-5
Second-Half Surge Leads #24 MSU Past ULM, 78-63
November 21, 2011 | Men's Basketball
A couple of key steals and pair of rim-rattling dunks by Brian Bryant sparked a 12-0 second-half run as the Bulldogs rallied past Louisiana-Monroe 78-63 Monday night. The 24th-ranked Bulldogs entered the national rankings for the first time this season Monday afternoon. Hours later, the Maroon and White extended their win streak to four games.
"We knew it would be a game of runs," said Bryant, a senior guard. "We knew they would have their runs and we would have ours. The important thing was to maintain our composure during their runs. We had to break it down on the defensive end and make stops."
Bryant posted his first career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Dee Bost led the Bulldogs with 21 points, while reigning Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week Rodney Hood poured in a career-high 20 points.
"We knew it would be a struggle because we were down a couple of players," MSU coach Rick Stansbury said. "The players really responded. In the second half, the difference in the game was on the defensive end. We had a pair of seniors, Dee Bost and Brian Bryant, really step their game up and make some big plays."
The Bulldogs (5-1) only had six players with extensive playing time. Renardo Sidney (wrist) and Arnett Moultrie (tendinitis) did not play due to injuries. Stansbury said both players were day-to-day and could be back for the squad's next game.
Louisiana-Monroe (0-5) started strong out of the gate. The Warhawks grabbed a 23-15 lead less than 12 minutes into the ballgame. Monroe broke a 15-15 tie with eight consecutive points, capped by a steal from R.J. McCray and fast-break layup by Marcelis Hansberry.
"I think we started the game with a hangover there the first six or seven minutes," Stansbury said. "Suddenly, we were down 23-11. In the first half, we had eight assists and four turnovers so we had good ball movement but it was leading to too many wide-open jumpers.
"You have to be able to take the ball to the rim offensively to have success. We did a better job of that to end the first half and in the second half. We wore them down in the end."
The Bulldogs responded with the game's next 14 points. A 3-point basket by Bost, an old-fashioned 3-point play by Bryant and a layup by Hood capped that run. The Warhawks went better than seven minutes without a field goal. Hood scored the team's final four first-half points to give MSU the lead, 31-26 at halftime.
"In the first six minutes, they hit three 3-point baskets," Stansbury said. "The rest of the game they only hit three more. That is the type of defensive intensity we had."
Monroe grabbed its last lead on a putback by Hansberry with 14:13 left in regulation. DeVille Smith answered with a 3-point make on MSU's next possession. That trey gave the Bulldogs the lead for good at 42-41.
The Bulldogs would eventually reel off 12 straight points as Bryant was all over the place. Bryant had two defensive rebounds, a steal and two dunks during that run. A 3-point basket by Hood capped the run and placed the Bulldogs on top 51-41.
"We picked the energy level up in the second half," Bost said. "Being ranked is good, but now you have to go out there and back that up. We played a lot better on the defensive end and that was the key to the game."
The Bulldogs would later enjoy a 12-3 run as the lead grew to 20 at 74-54 with 5:29 left in regulation.
For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 31 of 61 shots from the field (50.8 percent), 10 of 27 shots from 3-point range (37.0 percent) and 6 of 8 shots from the foul line (75.0 percent). The Warhawks hit 25 of 51 shots from the field (49.0 percent), 6 of 16 shots from 3-point range (37.5 percent) and 7 of 9 shots from the foul line (77.8 percent).
MSU held a 32-26 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had a season-high 20 assists and eight turnovers, while the Warhawks had 11 assists and 14 turnovers. For MSU, the eight-point first-half deficit was the largest it has overcome this season.
Monroe received 21 points from Fred Brown and 13 points from Hansberry.
The Bulldogs resume their six-game homestand with Tennessee-Martin at 7 p.m. Friday. Thanksgiving weekend on campus concludes with North Texas at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
