By the numbers: How Alabama turned the tables on Mississippi State

An early surge wasn’t enough as Mississippi State faded late and Alabama turned a big first-half deficit into a 97-82 victory.

Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Ja’Borri McGhee (2) reacts during the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Humphrey Coliseum. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Here are three stats that show how and why Mississippi State lost 97-82 to No. 18 Alabama on Tuesday night inside Humphrey Coliseum.

14

That’s the largest lead Mississippi State has it rushed out an early first half lead.

Obviously, that lead didn’t last.

Down 29-15 with less than eight minutes remaining, the Crimson Tide went on a 21-5 run to end the first half with a two-point lead. They kept seeing shots fall in the second half, too.

Over a 9:38 timespan from late in the first half to the second half, Alabama outscored the Bulldogs 34-7.

“They played better and we played worse,” Mississippi State coach Chris Jans said after the loss. “That's bluntly what happened. We didn't capitalize on the great start that we had, the momentum that we built.

“We couldn't draw up a better start. It was eerily similar to our last outing on the road, we get off to a great start, an even better start this game, and we couldn't sustain it. Before half we relinquished the lead and started playing from behind.”

5

That’s how many first half points Josh Hubbard had in the loss to Alabama.

Alabama coach Nate Oats somewhat jokingly said his team needed a different game plan for defending Hubbard after giving up 38 points in a game last season.

It looks like the Crimson Tide did just that, especially in the first half.

It’s starting to look like the Bulldogs are as good as Hubbard is on any particular night. Through four SEC games, Mississippi State is 2-2. In the two wins, Hubbard had 30 or more points. In the losses, he had less than 25 in each.

47-43

That’s the final rebounding totals for Alabama and Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide won the battle under the boards after being down 20-9 in rebounds in the first half.

Quincy Ballard had a game-high 17 rebounds, but four personal fouls lessened his effectiveness as the game wore on.

This stat isn’t so much why the Bulldogs lost, but does help paint the picture for why Alabama was able to rally back and win in Starkville.

Bulldogs’ Top Performers

• Points: Josh Hubbard, 23
• Rebounds: Quincy Ballard, 17
• Assists: Josh Hubbard, 3
• Steals: King Grace, 2
• Blocks: Quincy Ballard/Jamarion Davis-Fleming, 2

Next Up

Mississippi State will host its instate rival Ole Miss (9-7, 1-2 SEC) at 7:30 p.m. on SEC Network. The Rebels most recent game was their first SEC win of the season, a 79-69 win against Missouri. The Rebels travel to No. 21 Georgia on Wednesday.