Stewart shines to lead Bulldogs over Gamecocks
D.J. Stewart has emphasized in recent weeks the importance of having a short-term memory. As the Mississippi State guard and his teammates have experienced trying times, Stewart has attempted to forget all that and move forward.
On Saturday, he practiced what he has been preaching. On the heels of one of his worst games games of the season earlier in the week against Arkansas, Stewart bounced back with one of his best on Saturday. He scored 29 points to help the Bulldogs win 75-59 on the road at South Carolina.
"D.J. was fantastic," State head coach Ben Howland said. "He really played great."
(CLICK HERE FOR HOWLAND'S FULL POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE. SEE VIDEO ABOVE OF STEWART'S POSTGAME MEDIA SESSION. SEE BELOW FOR FORWARD DEREK FOUNTAIN'S.)
Stewart was only three points away from tying his career high. He made 10 of his 17 shots from the field, including going 4-for-6 from three-point range. All this coming after he scored a season-low eight points in the MSU loss to the Razorbacks back on Tuesday. Stewart's showing couldn't have come at a much better time for the Bulldogs.
"We'd lost four (conference) games in a row so our backs were against the wall," Stewart said. "We were at rock bottom, so when you're at rock bottom, there's only one way we could go was up. So we just kept fighting and got this W."
While Stewart played the starring role in MSU's victory, he got backup in the form of one familiar face and one newcomer on the rise. Fellow guard Iverson Molinar continued his stellar season with a 16-point performance. He also had four rebounds and four assists.
Then there was freshman forward Derek Fountain. The youngster scored nine points and had four rebounds as he easily set a career high with his 29 minutes of action.
Prior to this week, Fountain hadn't played in a game for more than five minutes all year. But he saw 10 minutes on the floor at Arkansas and nearly tripled that on Saturday as he his work ethic has forced Howland's hand.
"It was all about pulling the trigger," Howland said. "I should have pulled this trigger (and played Fountain more) probably about three weeks ago or a month ago. The thing that is most gratifying to me is that he was at a point (earlier this season) where he wasn't even in our top 10 (guys). Yet he was always engaged in every practice and always learning. He had a phenomenal attitude...I'm really happy to see a guy like that being rewarded."
The play of Stewart, Molinar and Fountain allowed MSU to remain in control for much of Saturday's game. The Bulldogs (11-9, 5-6) were in front for nearly 29 of the game's 40 minutes of action.
South Carolina (5-7, 3-5) did provide a scare. The Gamecocks fought back from a 12-point deficit to take a two-point lead early in the second half. But MSU battled, went up by 10 with 10:54 left and led by double figures the rest of the way.
State dominated South Carolina in most statistical categories. The Bulldogs outshot the Gamecocks 46 percent to 31 percent and out-rebounded South Carolina 46-30. Turnovers were again a bit of an issue for MSU as they have been of late. The Bulldogs had 21 of them, but they were able to overcome it. As a result, finally MSU has something to smile about again in SEC play.
State will try to keep the good vibes going on Wednesday. That's when the Bulldogs play host to LSU at 8 p.m.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCES
MSU forward Derek Fountain
See top of this page for video of MSU guard D.J. Stewart
CLICK HERE for video of MSU head coach Ben Howland
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