Bulldog Roundup: Mississippi State goes into OT for second time this week

Friday was a rough day to be a Mississippi State fan.

The Bulldogs lost the annual Battle for the Golden Egg to Ole Miss for the third-straight season and then saw their men’s basketball team fall to SMU in overtime, 87-81.

It was the second consecutive overtime game for Mississippi State after beating New Orleans 81-78 earlier this week.

It was a back-and-forth affair with the Mustangs. There were seven ties and three lead changes in the first half alone, but Mississippi State was able to gain ground when Jayden Epps drained a pair of three-pointers.

The Bulldogs’ 43-39 halftime lead would be stretched to a nine point lead with less than 10 minuites to play, but SMU would go on a 7-0 run to tighten the game.

SMU converted a 3-point play to cut the MSU lead to 71-70 with 2:09 remaining.

After Mississippi State's Achor Achor went 1-2 from the charity stripe, SMU made two free throws to tie the game at 72-72 with 53 seconds to go. Jayden Epps then found Quincy Ballard for a slam to regain a 74-72 lead with 0:43 remaining, but SMU tied the game again with a bucket, forcing overtime.

In overtime, the Mustangs took a six-point lead before Ja'Borri McGhee kept State alive with a 3-pointer at the 0:42 mark, cutting the SMU lead to 84-81. The Mustangs then iced the game with free throws.

Epps led State in scoring with 21 points, tying his season high. Ballard came away with a double-double in the effort, notching 12 points and a season-high 10 rebounds.

Achor also led the team in rebounding with a season-best 12 of his own. As a team, the Bulldogs found success in the paint by scoring 36 to the Mustangs' 34 on the inside.

Next up for the Bulldogs is the ACC/SEC Challenge against Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 8:15 p.m. on ACC Network.