Mississippi State Men's Basketball Falls 71-68 to Kentucky
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The Mississippi State men’s basketball team welcomed the University of Kentucky at home in a close game in which the Bulldogs fell short.
Although it was a rainy night in Starkville, Bulldogs fans did not fail to pack the Hump in support of the big game.
The game did not take long to warm up, as both teams came out aggressive from the start. The Wildcats were the first to get points on the board, but the Bulldogs did not hesitate to score and quickly took the lead, 5-2, less than three minutes into the game.
However, the Wildcats did not trail for long. Kentucky took over the lead in the middle of the half and did not look back. Although MSU poked at the scoreboard, getting within a point of the Wildcats, Kentucky remained in the lead for the rest of the half.
As halftime crept up, Cameron Matthews drilled a three-pointer for the Bulldogs that closed the score gap to one point. At the end of the first half, the score still sat in Kentucky’s favor at 36-35.
Two minutes into the second half, Tolu Smith put MSU back in the lead. The score briefly sat at 37-36, for the Bulldogs’ second lead since 5-4 early in the first half. The two teams continued playing tug-of-war with the scoreboard. Shakeel Moore put up two points with a successful dunk and Dashawn Davis made a layup to put the score at 41-38.
As time elapsed on the clock, the Wildcats picked up the lead once more. With the Bulldogs trailing by 13, head coach Chris Jans called a timeout to help the team regroup.
Tolu Smith, who put up 18 game-high points and went 6-of-7 on the free throw line, woke the Bulldogs up with a layup in hopes to take back the lead. Dashawn Davis made a three-point jumper and a layup after a fast-break turnover that pushed the Bulldogs closer to closing the gap.
With one minute left in the game and adrenaline pumping, MSU was still trailing by four. Feeling the pressure of the tight game against the Wildcats, Shakeel Moore secured a two-point jumper, putting the score at 66-64.
After the Wildcats made a free throw, the score raised to 67-64. However, a foul on Kentucky gave MSU a gateway to put up some points. From the bench, Eric Reed Jr. went 2-of-2 on the free throw line but the Bulldogs still had work to do.
After back-and-forth fouls between Kentucky and Mississippi State, the score fell short for the Bulldogs. University of Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe led the Wildcats with 18 points, and secured the final score, 71-68, after making two free throws.
Head coach Chris Jans discussed how the team will approach the remainder of the season in hopes of making it to the NCAA Tournament.
“When we’re trying to get where we’re trying to get, we don’t have a choice,” Jans said. “I know what my mindset is going to be. I know what our staff’s mindset is going to be, and I imagine our kids’ mindset will match our approach tomorrow. I think we will get off the mat and get after it again.”
The Bulldogs’ five-game win streak came to a screeching halt Wednesday night in the Humphrey Coliseum. The Bulldogs now hold a 17-9 overall record and 5-8 in the SEC.
Next, the Mississippi State will travel to Oxford, Mississippi to compete against Ole Miss on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT.
