Mississippi State
19-5, 6-3
Ole Miss
14-9, 4-5
No. 18 Mississippi State Handles Rebels, 70-60
February 09, 2012 | Men's Basketball
The 18th-ranked Basketball Bulldogs scored the game's first eight points and cruised to a 70-60 victory over in-state rival Ole Miss in a Southeastern Conference men's basketball game played in the Humphrey Coliseum.
A crowd of 10,364 (12th largest in coliseum history) watched the Maroon and White (on this night dressed in black) black out the Rebels, thanks to the quick start. The Bulldogs would lead by as 18 before posting their largest margin of victory in a home conference game this season.
Ole Miss was attempting a season sweep for the first time since 1998. Instead, the Bulldogs made amends for last month's 75-68 Ole Miss victory in Oxford. MSU has won 13 of the last 14 series meetings here and 25 of the last 28.
The Bulldogs have won 13 straight home games, which matches the second-best streak in school history. A win over Georgia Saturday would match the Bulldogs' all-time best home win streak.
MSU improved to 19-5 overall and 6-3 in league play. The Bulldogs are in a two-way tie with Vanderbilt for third place in the league standings, with seven league games remaining. Ole Miss fell to 14-9 and 4-5.
Senior guard Dee Bost led the Bulldogs with his first double-double of the season. Bost had 15 points and a career-high 13 assists. A balanced Bulldog scoring effort saw four players in double figures, led by Arnett Moultrie with 18 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Moultrie, a transfer from UTEP, now has 1,000 points for his playing career.
"After the game in Oxford, we just wanted to make sure we didn't come out and lose this game," Bost said. "We heard everything from the fans. Tonight, I just wanted to come out, set the tempo, and find everybody else."
The crowd started off on a fever pitch as the Bulldogs scored four straight baskets and held Ole Miss without a point for better than the first three minutes of play. Renardo Sidney scored twice, while Moultrie and Brian Bryant followed with baskets for the quick 8-0 lead.
The lead quickly grew to 16-4 on a Rodney Hood 3-point basket. Hood had all eight points in another 8-0 run as the true freshman from Meridian rammed home back-to-back 3-point baskets.
"We just wanted to come out and get the crowd into it," Hood said. "Sid came out and got an early dunk, and after that we just defended the ball really well."
The Bulldogs shot 51.6 percent from the floor and held a healthy lead for the balance of the first half. Ole Miss did close within seven at 21-14 on a Reginald Buckner layup with 8:53 left in the half. The Bulldogs ran the lead back to nine twice on two different Moultrie ram-rattling dunks.
MSU scored the final seven points of the half including two more dunks by Moultrie and a 3-point basket by Jalen Steele to carry a 40-27 lead into halftime.
"I was proud of how our kids came out from the get-go," MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said. "We were really focused. I thought defensively we played with an edge."
Bost set the second-half tone on a 3-point basket on the half's first possession. Sidney followed with an old-fashioned 3-point play to open a 46-28 advantage with 18:40 left in the contest.
The Rebels closed within 12 at 48-36 on a Murphy Holloway layup with 13:54 left in the contest.
Still, Ole Miss could not quite get over the hump. The Rebels were plagued by a rebounding deficit and a scoreless night from Nick Williams, the squad's leading scorer in conference games this season.
The Bulldogs have struggled to maintain double-digit leads at home this season. Thursday, proved quite different. The Maroon and White ran the lead back to 58-40 on a Moultrie dunk with 9:33 left.
Ole Miss got back within 12 at 60-48 before Bost nailed a back-breaking 3-point basket. Bost's best all-around game of the season and Moultrie's dominance inside proved too much for the guests to overcome on this night.
For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 28 of 61 shots from the field (45.9 percent), 9 of 25 shots from 3-point range (36.0 percent) and 5 of 7 shots from the foul line (71.4 percent). The Rebels hit 25 of 58 shots from the field (43.1 percent), 3 of 9 shots from 3-point range (33.3 percent) and 7 of 15 shots from the foul line (46.7 percent).
MSU held a 38-33 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 17 assists and 11 turnovers, while the Rebels had nine assists and six turnovers.
Sidney had 14 points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs. Hood was also in double figures with 10 points.
Ole Miss received 15 points from Buckner, 12 points from Jarvis Summers and 11 points from Jelan Kendrick.
MSU completes a three-game homestand by hosting Georgia Saturday. The SEC Network will televise regionally the SEC Battle of the Bulldogs with a 12:47 p.m. tip from the Humphrey Coliseum.
