After escaping many home frights this season, Mississippi State could not overcome a tough 70-68 overtime battle with Georgia Saturday afternoon, snapping a 13-game winning streak in the Hump.
The fans in Maroon and White had seen this script develop all season long. After surviving many home scares, the Dogs always seemed to find a way to come up with a win, but in a game that saw eight tied scores and 13 lead changes in the second half alone, Saturday afternoon provided them an obstacle they could not hurdle,  frustrating senior guard Dee Bost.
“I thought we were going to find a way but give them credit,” he said. “They made a lot of shots and made plays.”
After an electric win Thursday over in-state rival Ole Miss, the Bulldogs could not seem to carry over the energy and effort needed to win, and it showed from the opening tip of the game, head coach Rick Stansbury said.
“My number one concern was what beat us, and that was our ability to physically and mentally put Thursday night behind us and get that level of energy and emotion back up where it has to be in 36 hours,” Stansbury said. “Nowhere in that game did I ever feel like we ever got that emotion and energy at the level it has to be.”
The Dogs were led behind Dee Bost’s 21 points as he became the 10th player in school history to reach the 1,500 point mark for a career. The senior guard had one final shot that fell short at the final buzzer. Arnett Moultrie, who averaged 17 points and a league-leading 11 rebounds struggled to get his game going as he scored 12 points and six rebounds. Junior forward Renardo Sidney had one of his better outings of the season as he led MSU in rebounds with a season high of 12 boards while collecting his first double-double of the season and fifth of his career. Jalen Steele, who has been finding his rhythm recently, also contributed 15 points.
The first half set the tone to the tight-knit battle, and even though MSU led for most of the game, the Dogs could not build any streak of momentum, taking a 34-31 lead into the locker room. The second half was just as back-and-forth as neither team took more than a four- point lead, and, with 30 seconds to play, Georgia’s Gerald Robinson scored the final basket of regulation to send it to overtime tied at 59. The only glimpse of momentum for the Maroon and White came when Jalen Steele hit a three-point shot to give Mississippi State a 66-65 lead in overtime, but Caldwell-Pope quickly responded with a three-pointer of his own to put  his team back on top. With eight seconds remaining, Georgia’s Robinson missed a free throw and MSU saw one final possession. Bost took a decent look from just beyond the three-point line, but it fell short as Georgia celebrated with the win, and MSU suffered its first loss of the season after leading at halftime.
Fresh off their double-digit win over Arkansas, the visiting Bulldogs shot 42 percent from three-point land and muscled down 40 rebounds to put MSU out of rhythm. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led Georgia with 20 points, 18 coming from behind the arch, giving UGA their first conference road win.
With just six games remaining on the schedule, the Dogs still feel confident in making a deep run into March.
“It’s just going to take us being together,” Bost said. “And treating every game the same no matter who it is and turn our defense up.”
With the loss the Bulldogs slip to 19-6 overall and fall to 6-4 in league play and are looking to bounce back with two tough road games looming. Senior Arnett Moultrie said he is hoping the team learns from Saturday’s outing.
“We respond just like we do with every loss,” Moultrie said. “Put it behind us, learn from it and move forward.”
Mississippi State will have to move forward quickly as they open a two-game road stint with LSU Tonight at 8 p.m. in Baton Rogue and Saturday against Auburn.