Monday, December 19
Jackson, Miss. (Mississippi Coliseum)
8:00 PM
Mississippi State
7-3
86
vs
44
Southern Miss
3-6
1
2
F
USM
25
19
44
Mississippi State
39
47
86
Quinndary Weatherspoon had a game-high 16 points in MSU's rout of Southern Miss on Monday, 86-44.
Photo by: special to HailState.com
Bulldogs Bounce Back With Dominating Win Against USM
December 19, 2016 | Men's Basketball
JACKSON, Miss. – Mississippi State reeled off a 35-0 run in the second half to highlight an 86-44 win against in-state rival Southern Mississippi in the inaugural Capital City Showdown played at Mississippi Coliseum Monday night.
The Bulldogs and Golden Eagles met for the first time since the 2001 season in the first of a four-year series between the rivals. A crowd of 4,031 watched the Bulldogs win for the 14th time in their last 15 games played in Jackson.
"Really pleased with how we played tonight, especially defensively," MSU coach Ben Howland said. "We started out slow offensively, so it was important that we started strong on the defensive end. Our defensive help was much better. On 29 baskets, we had 21 assists.
"The way we shot the ball from three was really special."
Quinndary Weatherspoon led the Bulldogs with 16 points, while Lamar Peters added 15 points and Tyson Carter added 11 points. Schnider Herard had a season-high 12 rebounds, while Aric Holman matched a season high with 11 rebounds.
Xavian Stapleton also scored eight points and logged 11 minutes in his MSU debut.
The Bulldogs set a school record with 17 made 3-point baskets in the victory.
"I had never been part of a 35-0 run," Weatherspoon said. "That was exciting. I honestly didn't know we had that type of run until Coach Howland told us that in the locker room after the game. We made a lot of a 3-point baskets and that helped."
A 3-pointer by Weatherspoon sent the Bulldogs to a quick 6-0 lead. The Golden Eagles pulled within 8-4 before the Bulldogs scored eight straight points. A 3-pointer by Stapleton ran the Maroon and White lead to 16-4.
Peters capped an 8-0 run as the Bulldogs built a 24-10 lead. The Bulldogs continued their strong play to end the half and led 39-25 at halftime.
"In the second half, our defense was really special," Howland said. "That was the main reason why we had a 35-0 run. I really didn't know we had that type of run. I just knew (Southern Miss) was stuck on 29 points for a while."
The Golden Eagles scored four straight points to close within 41-29 with 18:28 left in the contest. From there, the Bulldogs held their opponent scoreless for right at 13 minutes during the run.
For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 29-of-59 shots from the field (49.2 percent), 17-of-29 shots from 3-point range (58.6 percent) and 11-of-14 shots from the foul line (78.6 percent). The Golden Eagles hit 15-of-65 shots from the field (23.1 percent), 5-of-26 shots from 3-point range (19.2 percent) and 9-of-11 shots from the foul line (81.8 percent).
MSU held a 46-37 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 21 assists and 14 turnovers, while the Golden Eagles had 6 assists and 15 turnovers.
Southern Miss (3-6) received nine points from Raheem Watts. Eddie Davis had a team-high nine rebounds.
MSU returns home for a 6 p.m. start Thursday against Morehead State. That contest will be televised nationally by the SEC Network.
The Bulldogs and Golden Eagles met for the first time since the 2001 season in the first of a four-year series between the rivals. A crowd of 4,031 watched the Bulldogs win for the 14th time in their last 15 games played in Jackson.
"Really pleased with how we played tonight, especially defensively," MSU coach Ben Howland said. "We started out slow offensively, so it was important that we started strong on the defensive end. Our defensive help was much better. On 29 baskets, we had 21 assists.
"The way we shot the ball from three was really special."
Quinndary Weatherspoon led the Bulldogs with 16 points, while Lamar Peters added 15 points and Tyson Carter added 11 points. Schnider Herard had a season-high 12 rebounds, while Aric Holman matched a season high with 11 rebounds.
Xavian Stapleton also scored eight points and logged 11 minutes in his MSU debut.
The Bulldogs set a school record with 17 made 3-point baskets in the victory.
"I had never been part of a 35-0 run," Weatherspoon said. "That was exciting. I honestly didn't know we had that type of run until Coach Howland told us that in the locker room after the game. We made a lot of a 3-point baskets and that helped."
A 3-pointer by Weatherspoon sent the Bulldogs to a quick 6-0 lead. The Golden Eagles pulled within 8-4 before the Bulldogs scored eight straight points. A 3-pointer by Stapleton ran the Maroon and White lead to 16-4.
Peters capped an 8-0 run as the Bulldogs built a 24-10 lead. The Bulldogs continued their strong play to end the half and led 39-25 at halftime.
"In the second half, our defense was really special," Howland said. "That was the main reason why we had a 35-0 run. I really didn't know we had that type of run. I just knew (Southern Miss) was stuck on 29 points for a while."
The Golden Eagles scored four straight points to close within 41-29 with 18:28 left in the contest. From there, the Bulldogs held their opponent scoreless for right at 13 minutes during the run.
For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 29-of-59 shots from the field (49.2 percent), 17-of-29 shots from 3-point range (58.6 percent) and 11-of-14 shots from the foul line (78.6 percent). The Golden Eagles hit 15-of-65 shots from the field (23.1 percent), 5-of-26 shots from 3-point range (19.2 percent) and 9-of-11 shots from the foul line (81.8 percent).
MSU held a 46-37 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 21 assists and 14 turnovers, while the Golden Eagles had 6 assists and 15 turnovers.
Southern Miss (3-6) received nine points from Raheem Watts. Eddie Davis had a team-high nine rebounds.
MSU returns home for a 6 p.m. start Thursday against Morehead State. That contest will be televised nationally by the SEC Network.
Team Stats
USM
MS
FG%
.231
.492
3FG%
.192
.586
FT%
.818
.786
RB
37
46
TO
15
14
STL
6
9
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
4
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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