‘We Needed This’: Iverson Molinar and Crew Bounce Back Against Georgia
After the painful loss to Ole Miss this past Saturday, Mississippi State basketball head coach Ben Howland demanded better out of his team. Fast forward a couple “brutal” practices and that very same team returned to their home court to thump Georgia via a final score of 88-72 on Wednesday night.
It wasn’t without any sweat, though, as Georgia did what many people have done this season against MSU - start off hot. So hot, in fact, that the other Bulldogs held a one point lead over MSU at the halfway mark.
Iverson Molinar would have something to say about that, though, as he poured in 17 points in the second half to elevate State to a comfortable lead and himself to a career high 28 points in the game.
“We needed this,” said Molinar to reporters after play had concluded, “because, you know, we can see how much better we can be if we actually play a little harder on defense, and being more aggressive on the offensive end. The team needed this, man.”
Molinar wasn’t the only MSU Bulldog to set a personal record, though, as in the absence of Tolu Smith, forward Javian Davis carved out his own MSU career high in the victory, finishing with 12.
“I was just pretty much trying to find angles,” said Davis of his scoring efforts after the game, “you know, coach is always preaching during practices and games to get a good seal and be aggressive, so I was pretty much just sealing hard, getting good angles and finishing.
With Molinar and Davis leading the way, MSU scored 58 points in the paint to Georgia’s 28. The MSU defense also forced 15 turnovers, which they promptly turned into 20 points.
This was a key bounce-back game for MSU, and puts them back in the top half of a loaded SEC in the early goings of conference play - that will be huge come selection Sunday.
The schedule doesn’t ease up for the Bulldogs, though, as they prepare themselves for the three-point barrage that comes with playing the Alabama Crimson Tide in their next test. That game takes place this Saturday in Starkville at 5 p.m. CT.
