Bulldogs Fall In The Final Seconds To Bucs

Wednesday, December 14

Starkville

7:00 PM

Mississippi State

6-3

East Tennessee State

8-2

East Tennessee State

Mississippi State

Aric Holman scored a team-high 17 points in the Bulldog's 67-65 setback to East Tennessee State.

Bulldogs Fall In The Final Seconds To Bucs

December 14, 2016 | Men's Basketball

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STARKVILLE, Miss. — A putback by Hanner Mosquera-Perea with 1.4 seconds left in regulation time lifted East Tennessee State past Mississippi State 67-65 Wednesday night at Humphrey Coliseum.

The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 10 points and did not hold a lead in the final 34 minutes, 18 seconds of play. Still, the contest was tied at 65 when Lamar Peters drained a 3-pointer with 11 seconds remaining.

ETSU then missed its first two shot attempts before Mosquera-Perea sank the game-winning putback. On the other end, I.J. Ready missed an off-balance 30-foot jump shot as time expired.

"It's a tough loss against a very good team," MSU coach Ben Howland said. "East Tennessee is a veteran team, and they are tough. In the first half, I was disappointed in our transition defense. We made a great comeback and had an opportunity down the stretch. We needed another stop.

"We allowed 38 points in the paint and that is way too many. Their experience was really important down the stretch. It showed against our youth."

Aric Holman led the Bulldogs with 17 points. Quinndary Weatherspoon added 13 points, while Mario Kegler added 12 points and Lamar Peters 10. Kegler had a team-high eight rebounds, while Weatherspoon had seven rebounds. I.J. Ready had four assists, while Holman had four blocked shots.

The Bulldogs saw a three-game winning streak snapped. It was the first time MSU played a contest decided in the final seconds this season.

"I have faith in my teammates," Holman said. "It's a tough loss, but we will learn from being in those situations. We have to keep working and learn how to win a game like that."

A 3-pointer by Kegler and putback by Holman sent the Bulldogs to an early 10-6 lead. The Buccaneers responded with a 10-2 run for s 16-12 lead.

ETSU stretched the lead to eight points at 25-17 with 7:20 left in the half.

The Bulldogs kept battling and closed within five points at 31-26 at halftime.

"In the first half, I wasn't pleased with our intensity," Howland said. "It is tough coming off finals. We stressed how really good East Tennessee State is. They came in totally focused. I thought in the second half, we really competed. We did the things that we needed to do to win the game."

Bradford hit a 3-pointer as ETSU stretched the lead to 40-30 with 17:01 left in the contest.

The Bulldogs trailed by 10 twice more before crawling back into the contest. A layup by Weatherspoon had the Bulldogs within six points at 50-44. Kegler had a tip-in to bring the Maroon and White within 50-49 with 7:49 left.

The teams were finally tied at 54 on two free throws by Weatherspoon. The contest stayed tight until the end, but the Bulldogs could never grab a lead.

For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 23 of 55 shots from the field (41.8 percent), 6 of 18 shots from 3-point range (33.3 percent) and 13 of 20 shots from the foul line (65.0 percent). The Buccaneers hit 26 of 59 shots from the field (44.1 percent), 7 of 19 shots from 3-point range (36.8 percent) and 8 of 14 shots from the foul line (57.1 percent).

ETSU held a 36-35 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had nine assists and 14 turnovers, while the Buccaneers had five assists and 12 turnovers.

ETSU (8-2) received 15 points from Bradford and 14 points from T.J. Cromer.

MSU returns to action with a Monday night matchup against Southern Mississippi. The in-state rivals meet at 8 p.m. in the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson with the game being available nationally on ESPNU.