The Mississippi State University men’s basketball team picked up another huge win against the University of South Carolina in the last home game of 2023 Tuesday night as the Bulldogs continued to build their NCAA Tournament resume.
Within seconds of the first half, Shakeel Moore made a two-point jumper to warm up the scoreboard. South Carolina was quick to take the lead by snagging rebounds and making effortless shots to get the ball back in their court.
As time elapsed in the first, foul trouble on behalf of Mississippi State gave way for points to pile up for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Despite struggles to keep the Gamecocks off the free throw line, Mississippi State filled in the score gap.
A D.J. Jeffries dunk echoed throughout the Hump and pulled Mississippi State back into the lead with three minutes remaining in the first. The Bulldogs held onto that momentum as the half concluded with MSU in the lead by eight.
A back-and-forth fight for the upper hand on the scoreboard continued into the second half. The Gamecocks slowly inched their way closer to the Bulldogs’ score. With 14 minutes left in the game, South Carolina closed the gap and tied the game 46-46.
With the pressure turned all the way up and the fans on their toes, the Bulldogs made sure to keep the score within reach. A fast break layup from Moore, who also secured 20 game-high points and went 60% shooting from the field, tied the game once more with a little under eight minutes remaining.
In the postgame presser, Moore spoke about the mindset the Bulldogs had going into the game against the Gamecocks.
“It’s all about togetherness. Coach stressed that it was a different team that came in tonight,” Moore said. “It was all about strapping in, playing good defense and coming down to the last possession.”
Jeffries successfully made two-of-two free throws that pushed Mississippi State over the edge and splashed another glimmer of hope into the Bulldogs’ eyes.
With less than two minutes left in the second half, the Bulldogs came together as a team and finish out the game in their favor.
Back-to-back points from Moore pushed MSU’s lead up to seven as the clock ran down. More foul trouble on the Gamecocks’ end gave the Bulldogs an extra push as the game came to a close.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs pulled off another win in Humphrey Coliseum with the final score settling to 74-68.
Head coach Chris Jans discussed how his team listened to in a brief message during a timeout and took back the lead after several rough patches throughout the game.
“There’s no panic in our huddles or on our bench. These games are long; there are a lot of possessions and a lot can happen. But, hey, we’ve been there, done that and we can do this,” Jans said. “We just got after the ball and really, really changed the tone of the game.”
The Bulldogs now hold a 20-10 overall record and will hit the road to take on Vanderbilt University this Saturday at 7 p.m. in Nashville, Tennessee. That game against the Commodores will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.