Bulldogs Travel To Ole Miss Looking For Season Sweep
March 01, 2016 | Men's Basketball
The 6 p.m. tip will air on the SEC Network with Dave Neal and Daymeon Fishback calling the action. Jim Ellis and Richard Williams will also have the call on the MSU Radio Network.
The Bulldogs (13-15, 6-10) led from start to finish in last weekend's 68-58 victory against South Carolina. Gavin Ware paved the way offensively with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Quinndary Weatherspoon and Craig Sword each added 14. Fred Thomas also recorded a double-digit outing with 12 points, his best outing in SEC play this season.
Defensively, Mississippi State forced season highs in turnovers (21) and steals (13) to limit the Gamecock offense.
Ole Miss (18-11, 8-8) fell 80-66 at Georgia in its last appearance on the hardwood. Although four players reached the double-digit plateau, the Rebels were limited to just four points off the bench. Anthony Perez led the Rebels with 19 points and nine rebounds, while Stefan Moody and Tomasz Gielo added 15 and 13 points, respectively.
For the season, Moody, who didn't play in the first matchup of the year at Humphrey Coliseum, paces the Rebels with an SEC-leading 22.8 points per game. Sebastian Saiz adds 11.6 points a night while also hauling in a team-best nine rebounds per game.
Wednesday's matchup marks the 254th meeting between the schools and stands as the most played series in the Southeastern Conference. Mississippi State leads the all-time series with a 142-111 record, including an 83-77 victory against the Rebels earlier this season in which freshman Malik Newman scored a season-high 25 points on 7-10 shooting beyond the arc.
“Obviously it's in-state rivals,” MSU coach Ben Howland said. “It's Ole Miss and Mississippi State. It's a big deal. It's a big game.”
Following Wednesday's matchup, the Bulldogs return to Humphrey Coliseum for the season finale against Auburn Saturday. The Senior Day action will tip at 1:30 p.m. and will air on the SEC Network.
