Mississippi State
21-11,8-10SEC
Florida
16-16,9-9SEC
Dawgs Outlast Florida In OT At SEC Tourney
March 09, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
State wins 69-68.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mississippi State just found a way.
Seeking to boost its NCAA Tournament resume and advance to the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals, MSU outlasted Florida 69-68 in overtime on Thursday at Bridgestone Arena. With the Bulldogs trailing by one, Tolu Smith's layup with five seconds remaining proved to be the game winner for State.
"At the end of the day in these situations, it's find a way and survive and advance," MSU head coach Chris Jans said. "That's what we did."
Smith finished with a career-best 28 points. He also notched his 11th double-double this season and 24th of his career as he brought down 12 rebounds.
While Smith carried the Bulldogs to victory late, Shakeel Moore provided the early spark. Moore tallied 13 points – 12 of which came in a first half that saw MSU sprint out to a 36-26 lead by halftime.
However, after the intermission, the Gators surged. A 12-1 Florida run flipped the script of the game and it was tight the rest of the way. And while State was able to build itself back a six-point advantage by the 1:54 mark in regulation, a pair of Gator 3s down the stretch sent the game into overtime.
MSU scored 10 of the first 14 points in the extra frame to go up 67-61. However, Florida ripped off a quick 7-0 run to go in front 68-67 with only 11 seconds left.
Down to crunch time, Mississippi State had an answer. Dashawn Davis dished the ball to Smith for the contest's deciding basket and the Gators missed a trey on the other end to seal the Bulldog victory.
It wasn't easy, but it was a win. This time of year, that's really all that matters.
"Just excited for our team," Moore said. "We don't have any quit. We're warriors and we're going to fight to the final buzzer."
MSU's win sets up this season's third matchup against Alabama. The Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide will tip at noon on Friday as the SEC Tournament rolls on.
