Mississippi State
12-6,1-5SEC
#9 Tennessee
15-3,5-1SEC
State Drops Decision To No. 9 Tennessee
January 17, 2023 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State held a lead with under 10 minutes to go against No. 9 Tennessee on Tuesday night, but the Bulldogs ultimately fell 70-59 to the Volunteers at Humphrey Coliseum.
MSU led by as many as nine points in the first half and was up 46-44 with just over nine minutes to play before Tennessee outscored State 26-13 down the stretch.
Shakeel Moore tallied a career-high 20 points for the Dawgs. Meanwhile, Tolu Smith recorded his 17th career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Zakai Zeigler led the Vols with a 24-point effort.
The end result spoiled what was a tremendous start for MSU. Powered by an incredibly impressive defensive effort, the Bulldogs led 19-10 with just over five minutes left before halftime.
The Vols fought back to even the score at 23-all by the intermission. The two teams were then never separated by more than six points until Tennessee's Oliver Nkamhoua hit a 3-pointer with 2:48 remaining that put State down nine. The Bulldogs couldn't recover.
"The game unfolded [early] exactly how we needed it to unfold," MSU head coach Chris Jans said. "In terms of the score, the possessions and the feel, we were in command. [Tennessee] was having a hard time scoring against us. The crowd was into the game.
"Then the second half there, it was back and forth, back and forth…But a lot of credit has to go to Tennessee. They were men down. It was a golden opportunity for our program and for our team this year and it's costly. It's very costly."
Jans and the Bulldogs will look for a bounce-back effort on Saturday. That's when Mississippi State hosts Florida in a 7:30 p.m. game.
Despite the last three disappointing contests, Jans remains confident in his squad ahead of the showdown with the Gators.
"[I told the team after Tuesday's game] that we're a good basketball team," Jans said. "If we can stick together and stay the course, we'll have the opportunity to win games in this league this year.
"But it's a big challenge. It's a big challenge that we all face. It starts with me and my staff to set the mood and the vibe to stay hungry and stay focused and continue to work and believe – just to believe in what we're doing and believe in one another. That'll be a big focus for us heading into the Florida game."
