MSU MEN’S BASKETBALL MOVES TO 2-0 IN SEC PLAY WITH WIN AT GEORGIA
ATHENS,
Ga. – Jalen Steele bagged a career high 21 points and Mississippi State
won its first true road game of the season Saturday afternoon.
Behind
a dynamic 3-point shooting night from Steele, MSU pulled away in the
second half to post a 72-61 Southeastern Conference victory over
Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum.
With the victory, the Bulldogs
improved to 7-7 overall and 2-0 in league play. MSU snapped a
three-game losing streak to Georgia, while starting 2-0 in league play
for the first time since 2010. Georgia dropped to 6-9 and 0-2.
“It
is a great win for our guys,” MSU head coach Rick Ray said. “We had
been making some baby steps. Then we had a very nice win against South
Carolina. To be able to follow that up with a true road win is huge for
our guys. “It
is like we finally got a monkey off our backs. Being able to get that
road win in the first conference road game makes it even sweeter.”
Energized
by Wednesday’s victory over South Carolina, MSU took the court focused
and determined Saturday afternoon. Quickly, Steele made his mark
scoring the game’s first five points. MSU parlayed the quick start into
an early 11-5 advantage.
Georgia (6-9, 0-2) closed within 13-12
only to see a Craig Sword 3-point basket go home for MSU. Georgia
quickly tied things at 16 and later seized early control of the game
with a 9-0 run for a 30-23 lead.
A 3-point play by Fred Thomas
helped spark the comeback. The lead changed hands five times in the
final 1:53 as MSU grabbed a 36-35 lead at halftime.
“The fast
start was important for us,” Ray said. “You saw a lot of players
getting into the action. Our ball movement and shot selection was good.
In the second half, we had a positive assists-to-turnover ratio (seven
to six). Those are the kinds of plays you have to make to win on the
road.”
MSU found another gear defensively in the second half, allowing only 26 points.
Things
were nip-and-tuck in the second half before back-to-back 3s by Thomas
and Steele allowed the Bulldogs to open 50-44 advantage. After not
hitting a 3-point basket against South Carolina, the Bulldogs were
9-of-20 from long range Saturday.
Georgia forced one last tie
before MSU took control for good with a 12-1 run. That run was capped
by back-to-back 3’s from Steele, giving MSU a 62-51 advantage with 5:02
left.
For the contest, MSU hit 25 of 54 shots from the field
(46.3 percent), 9 of 20 shots from 3-point range (45.0 percent) and 13
of 23 shots from the foul line (56.5 percent). Georgia hit 19 of 58
shots from the field (32.8 percent), 4 of 19 shots from 3-point range
(21.1 percent) and 19 of 32 shots from the foul line (59.4 percent).
Georgia held a 44-37 rebounding advantage. MSU had 13 assists and 14 turnovers, while Georgia had 10 assists and 15 turnovers.
Sword added 16 points for MSU. Trivante Bloodman had a team-high five assists, while Steele had a team-high seven rebounds.
Georgia received 16 points from Ken Caldwell-Pope and 14 points from Charles Mann.
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