Mississippi State
17-5, 4-3SEC
#14 Florida
17-4, 5-1SEC
#13 Gators Pull Away From #16 Bulldogs For 69-57 Triumph
January 28, 2012 | Men's Basketball
The Bulldogs could not replicate the magic of last Saturday's overtime road win at Vanderbilt, as MSU suffered its third defeat in road play this season. The Maroon and White is now 17-5 overall and 4-3 in league play, while Florida improved to 17-4 and 5-1. Florida has won 17 straight games in its home arena.
Florida shot 55.6 percent in the game's final half to build on a three-point halftime lead. The Gators also used a dogged defensive effort to force 14 turnovers and to slow down the Bulldogs' offensive attack. MSU was held 16 points below its season scoring average.
"They were more physical in the post than we had anticipated," MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said. "However, I am going to take a lot of positives from this game. For about 33 minutes, we battled toe to toe with one of the best teams in the country, even though we were not at our best."
The Bulldogs built a three-point lead twice during a nip-and-tuck first half. The Gators seized control for good with a 7-0 run to break a 20-20 tie. A 3-point basket from Jalen Steele and layup by Renardo Sidney brought the Bulldogs within 30-27 at the intermission.
"We felt good at the half," Stansbury said. "We were down three and had missed some shots. We kept battling in the second half. However, we get it to three and have three or four empty possessions in a row. You can't have empty possessions and expect to win on the road."
The Bulldogs battled back for a 32-32 tie on a Rodney Hood jumper with 17:16 left in regulation. Behind some strong offensive play by Erving Walker and success from the trapping Gators defense, Florida bolted to an eight-point advantage at 47-39 with 10:43 left.
MSU closed back within four before going better than four minutes without a point during Florida's game-clinching 11-0 run.
For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 21 of 48 shots from the field (43.8 percent), 7 of 16 shots from 3-point range (43.8 percent) and 8 of 14 shots from the foul line (57.1 percent). The Gators hit 27 of 56 shots from the field (48.2 percent), 11 of 24 shots from 3-point range (45.8 percent) and 4 of 7 shots from the foul line (57.1 percent).
MSU held a 34-26 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 10 assists and 14 turnovers, while the Gators had 15 assists and five turnovers.
For MSU, Arnett Moultrie posted his conference-best 13th double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Dee Bost had 12 points, while Brian Bryant had 11 points.
Florida received 19 points from Bradley Beal, 14 points from Erik Murphy, 12 points from Patric Young and 10 points from Walker.
There is no midweek game for the Bulldogs. MSU opens a three-game homestand with a 3 p.m. start against Auburn Saturday. The Bulldogs and Tigers will play regionally on the SEC Network.
