Missed free throws haunt Mississippi State in loss to Dayton
D.J. Stewart played like a superstar. Iverson Molinar had a big night and came through in the clutch. In the end, none of it paid off, in large part because Mississippi State shot itself in the foot at the free-throw line in an 85-82, double-overtime loss to Dayton at the Holiday Hoopsgiving event in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday.
"It's gut-wrenching to lose shooting 9-for-22 from the foul line," Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland said. "Three of them were on the front end of a one-and-one. Anytime you miss the front end of a one-and-one, that's two points that you're missing out on."
Any of those points could've possibly led to an MSU win in either regulation or after the first overtime period. Instead, the Bulldogs were left to wonder what might have been as their three-game winning streak was snapped. State is now 3-3 overall for the season.
The disappointing loss came despite the fact D.J. Stewart put forth one of the best nights of his career. The redshirt sophomore guard scored a career-high 32 points. He shot 13-of-22 from the field, was 3-of-5 from 3-point range and also had a pair of rebounds and assists.
In a season in which MSU is attempting to overcome the loss of its top four scorers of a year ago, the Bulldogs need Stewart to be one of the ones leading the charge. On Saturday, he appeared up for the task.
"D.J. was phenomenal," Howland said "He just did so many good things for us offensively...He's doing a tremendous job."
State also got a strong performance out of point guard Iverson Molinar. Molinar scored 20 points and it was his basket as time expired in regulation that tied the game at 64 and sent it to overtime.
The Bulldogs weren't able to take advantage however. In a back-and-forth affair that saw 19 lead changes and 11 ties, in the end it was Dayton coming out on top. And it all could've been a different story if somewhere along the way in regulation or the first overtime, the Bulldogs could've hit just one more free throw.
Javian Davis and Cameron Matthews in particular had several missed opportunities at the charity stripe. Davis was 0-for-4 from the line. Matthews was 1-for-4.
Howland said postgame that practice and repetition are the keys to making sure Davis, Matthews and the rest of the Bulldogs don't see a problem like Saturday's repeat itself.
"It's shooting 100 (free throws) every day," Howland said. "They're hard workers and they'll figure it out."
Mississippi State will try to bounce back on Wednesday as the Bulldogs host Central Arkansas in a 7 p.m. game.
Thank you for coming to Cowbell Corner for coverage of Mississippi State sports. Be sure to follow Cowbell Corner on Twitter (@SIBulldogs) by clicking here, and like it on Facebook by clicking here.
