Dogs Upend Broncos Behind Weatherspoon's 25 Points

Friday, November 18

Charleston, S.C.

6:00 PM

Mississippi State

2-1

Boise State

1-2

Mississippi State

Boise State

Quinndary Weatherspoon scored a career-high 25 points in Mississippi State's 80-68 victory Friday.

Dogs Upend Broncos Behind Weatherspoon's 25 Points

November 18, 2016 | Men's Basketball

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CHARLESTON, S.C. – Quinndary Weatherspoon scored a career-high 25 points as Mississippi State placed five players in double figures to defeat Boise State 80-68 Friday on the second day of the Gildan Charleston Classic at TD Arena.

After a difficult loss to Central Florida in the tournament opener, the Bulldogs bounced back, thanks to a strong offensive performance with a quick start. MSU never trailed in the contest.

"Really proud of our effort," MSU coach Ben Howland said. "We really played hard and that is difficult when you are playing on back-to-back nights, especially after a tough loss. Our bench was outstanding tonight. It is the first time all year we have had more free throws than the opponent.

"We have a lot of work to do, but I am proud of how we bounced back."

Tyson Carter added 15 points for the Bulldogs, while I.J. Ready had 13 points and both Mario Kegler and Aric Holman each added 12 points apiece. Ready had a team-high six assists, while Schnider Herard led the way with seven rebounds.

The Bulldogs (2-1) held the Broncos to one field goal over the first six minutes of play, while building an 8-2 advantage. The teams were then tied 11-11 before a layup by Weatherspoon and two free throws by Carter made it 15-11 MSU.

The teams were again tied at 18 before the Maroon and White scored six straight points to take the lead for good. A dunk by Carter pushed the lead to 35-25 with just over a minute left in the first half.

The Bulldogs shot 49.1 percent from the field in the first half and led 37-29 at halftime.

"Our defensive effort was realty good," Howland said. "It is nice when we get a good offensive night from (Ready), but people don't realize how important he is to our defensive effort. He is the quarterback of the team on defense."

In the second half, MSU was even better offensively, hitting 17-of-27 second-half shots for 63.0 percent shooting. Carter scored half the points in a 10-0 run as the Bulldogs built a 51-33 lead with 15:18 left.

Boise State (1-2) closed within eight points before a layup by Holman and 3-pointer from Kegler pushed the Bulldogs back out to a comfortable lead.

For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 28 of 57 shots from the field (49.1 percent), 5 of 21 shots from 3-point range (23.8 percent) and 19 of 23 shots from the foul line (82.6 percent). The Broncos where 27-55 from the field (49.1 percent), 7 of 25 from 3-point range (28.0 percent) and 7 of 10 from the foul line (70.0 percent).

MSU held a 35-27 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 13 assists and 10 turnovers, while the Broncos had 10 assists and 17 turnovers.

Chandler Hutchinson and Paris Austin each had 13 points, while Nick Duncan had 12 points for the Broncos.

MSU faces UTEP at 2:30 p.m. CT Sunday in its final tournament game.