Bulldogs Fight to Tame a Fiesty Group of Dores
STARKVILLE, MS – Vanderbilt worked its way to a halftime lead on the road Saturday night, but the bite of the Bulldogs was too much in the second half as Mississippi State held off the Commodores, 80-70.
Mississippi State (15-8, 5-4) maintained the coveted fourth seed in the SEC standings halfway through the conference schedule. Vanderbilt (9-14, 1-9) was trying to win for the second time in as many games after breaking a 26-game SEC regular season losing streak against LSU on Wednesday.
A 12-0 run just before the intermission by the visiting squad from Nashville was cut off on a layup at the buzzer by Tyson Carter, but Vanderbilt took a 35-31 edge into the second half. State returned the favor and scorched the nets in the first three minutes of the second half to build a lead Vanderbilt could never catch.
Starting forward Reggie Perry, an early projected candidate for Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, scored 25 points and secured his double-double with 11 rebounds to go with six assists and 8-of-9 free throws made. Nick Weatherspoon added 21 and Carter 16.
State shot 62 percent in the second half and 52.8 percent for the game.
Fresh off a 99-90 upset of LSU on Wednesday, Vanderbilt got great offensive sets and open looks, but shots would not fall. The Commodores connected on 39.7 percent for the game but just 32 percent in the second half, making just 6-of-24 threes for the contest. The Bulldogs used a powerful size advantage and inside presence to win the rebounding battle, 37-30, and get 42 points in the paint with 14 layups and four dunks.
Leading scorer Saben Lee again reached 20 points for the Commodores, but had to work for it. The junior made just 6-of-12 from the field but 7-of-8 at the line, and as a team Vanderbilt continued to improve at the charity stripe with 18-of-23 converted. Sophomore Ejike Obinna scored 12 to tie his season high, and freshman Jordan Wright added 11. Dylan Disu netted 9, Scotty Pippen Jr. 8, Maxwell Evans 7 and Matthew Moyer three.
Both teams had six offensive boards and that effort did not go unnoticed, as Mississippi State came into the game second in the country at 13 offensive rebounds per game. Vanderbilt turned it over 11 times and State 16.
GAME FLOW
Vanderbilt held the lead early at 5-4, but a three by Perry was a sign of things to come.
Down 29-23 in the first half at the last media timeout, Vanderbilt used defensive pressure to make a run. The Commodores dropped from a press to a 2-3 zone, starting with pressure and backing off into the defensive adjustment. The changes stymied the Bulldogs, who filled up the final minutes with empty possessions until Carter’s easy lay in before halftime.
With 16:40 to go in the second half, things got dicey for the Dores.
Obinna broke a 9-0 run with a layup at 17:31, but then Perry hit a jumper and the Dores were called for a foul on the next possession. The call infuriated Stackhouse, and Perry took the inbounds pass and nailed a three.
The whistle followed and Coach Stackhouse received a technical at 16:36. Perry made both tosses.
When Vanderbilt got within 50-44, the Bulldogs went on a 12-2 run to build the biggest lead at 62-46 with 9:21 left. But as State tried to put the game away, Vanderbilt would not go quietly into the night. Lee was fouled and made both for a 69-63 score at 4:44, then he hit a three to make it 72-66.
That’s as close as the Commodores could get, putting the margin at six on three different times in the final 10 minutes. Weatherspoon and Robert Woodard put the game away with four free throws in the final minute.
DEFENSIVE ENERGY
Vanderbilt may have struggled to shoot, but not in transition. The Commodores forced 16 turnovers on 11 steals and converted 22 fast-break points.
Lee had six steals, and Pippen and Evans two each.
SHOOTERS GAME
Perry’s size was a problem for the Commodores, but Ejike Obinna did his part to stay close. However, the key stat of the night was Perry knocking down three of his five 3-point attempts and 7-of-10 overall from the field. Like many professional centers and power forwards, the dominant scorer was money from the outside.
Weatherspoon didn’t miss either, except once, hitting 8-of-9 to go with six rebounds and three assists. The inside out game of the Bulldogs was a tough assignment in the set offense, as just 14 of the team’s 80 points were in transition. When Mississippi State set up, they converted, with 42 points in the paint and 19 free throws.
SCORING
Mississippi State (80) – Perry 25, Weatherspoon 21, Carter 16, Stewart Jr. 7, Woodard II 5, Ado 4, Molinar 2. Vanderbilt (70) – Lee 20, Obinna 12, Wright 11, Disu 9, Pippen Jr. 8, Evans 7, Moyer 3.
NEXT UP
Vanderbilt hosts Kentucky at Memorial Gym, Tuesday night at 6 p.m. The Wildcats won the earlier matchup at Rupp Arena, 71-62, on Jan. 29.
Kentucky (18-5, 8-2) sits in a three-way tie with LSU and Auburn atop the SEC, and defeated Tennessee, 77-64, on Saturday. The Cats two league losses are to South Carolina and Auburn.
Mississippi State just lost 80-72 to Kentucky this week
Kris Freeman is the public address announcer for the Commodores and contributor for SI-Vanderbilt. Follow on Twitter @KrisFreemanPA
