Bulldogs Punch Return Ticket To SEC Tournament Final
| Mario Austin dunks on the Tigers' Jamie Lloreda (14) and Antonio Hudson (below). (AP Photo/Dave Martin) |
Led by Bowers' 6-of-9 3-point shooting, the Bulldogs ended LSU's seven-game winning streak with a 76-61 victory in the semifinal round of the tournament on Saturday.
"Yesterday I was trying to get a feel for the goals," Bowers said. "Today I hit some early shots and went from there."
It was the second straight year that Mississippi State (21-8), the West's No. 1 seed and defending tournament champion, beat LSU (21-10) in the tournament semifinal.
The victory was Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury's 100th.
"We believed it was a three-game season," Stansbury said. "We came here to defend our SEC championship."
The Bulldogs will face the winner of the Auburn-Kentucky game in Sunday's championship match.
Mississippi State, which shot 33.7 percent from the arc going into the game, made 52.6 percent (10-19) against LSU.
Bowers led the Bulldogs with 26 points. Mario Austin, who announced earlier in the week he will return for his senior season, scored 14, while Michal Ignerski scored 15. Point guard Derrick Zimmerman nearly chipped in a triple double, with nine points, nine rebounds and 11 assists.
"Because of the pressure of Mario Austin around the goal and what you have to do to guard him, when they make perimeter shots like they did, they are tough to defend," LSU coach John Brady said.
Jamie Lloreda, Collis Temple III and Antonio Hudson led LSU with 11 points each. Torris Bright scored 10. Lloreda also grabbed 11 rebounds. Ronald Dupree, who had scored in double figures for 29 straight games, was held to nine points.
| Chris Reynolds of Memphis, Tenn., (left) and Brooks Johnson of St. Louis show their support for the Bulldogs. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) |
LSU, which had outshot its opponents in 11 of the last 12 games, struggled inside and outside. The Tigers had made 66 of 132 3-pointers during their seven-game winning streak, but made just 6 of 15 from that distance against Mississippi State.
"We did what we do best, defend and rebound," Bowers said. "The rest took care of itself."
The Bulldogs outscored LSU 38-22 in the paint, and scored 18 points off LSU's 18 turnovers.
The Tigers trailed from the opening minutes of the game. In the second half, LSU pulled to within three points (45-42) on a layup by Lloreda with 16:16 to go. It was the closest they were to get.
Mississippi State pulled ahead on a 10-0 run, fueled by 3-pointers from Austin and Bowers and never allowed the Tigers closer than six down the stretch.
"They came out with great intensity," Temple said. "They kept it on for 40 minutes and we weren't able to counter that."
The Bulldogs took a 14-point lead in the first half, shooting 59 percent from the field early on and going 5-for-5 from 3-point distance.
Ignerski's layup with 7:12 remaining gave Mississippi State a 30-16 lead. The Tigers staged a 16-4 run to cut the Bulldogs lead to 34-32 at halftime.
LSU (21-10)
Dupree 4-12 1-1 9, Lloreda 5-14 1-2 11, Bright 3-8 2-2 10, Whipple 2-4 0-0 5, Temple 4-7 1-1 11, Mitchell 1-4 2-2 4, Hudson 5-6 0-1 11, Bridgewater 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-55 7-9 61.
MISSISSIPPI STATE (20-9)
Harper 2-6 1-2 5, Ignerski 7-10 0-0 15, Austin 5-15 3-4 15, Bowers 8-17 4-4 26, Zimmerman 4-8 0-0 9, Buse 0-0 0-0 0, Bennett 0-1 0-0 0, Campbell 0-2 0-0 0, Cannon 0-0 0-0 0, Cowherd 1-1 0-0 3, Frazier 0-0 0-0 0, Vincent 2-2 0-0 4, Smith 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-62 8-10 76.
Halftime -- Mississippi St. 34, LSU 32. 3-Point goals -- LSU 6-15 Dupree 0-1, Bright 2-6, Whipple 1-2, Temple 2-4, Mitchell 0-1, Hudson 1-1), Mississippi St. 10-19 (Harper 0-2, Ignerski 1-3, Austin 1-2, Bowers 6-9, Zimmerman 1-2, Cowherd 1-1). Fouled out -- Vincent. Rebounds -- LSU 32 (Lloreda 11), Mississippi St. 34 (Zimmerman 9). Assists -- LSU 12 (Whipple 5), Mississippi St. 18 (Zimmerman 11). Total fouls -- LSU 13, Mississippi St. 14. A -- NA.