A Thanksgiving Day victory over the University of California-Irvine turned out to be the only bright spot of the inaugural Anaheim Classic tournament for Mississippi State.The Bulldogs (3-3) defeated the UC Irvine Anteaters 68-53 Thursday before dropping their remaining contests 63-49 to No. 18 Southern Illinois and 67-60 to Ohio’s Miami University.
Mississippi State’s two setbacks in the tournament were not expected by head coach Rick Stansbury, but he said he expects the team to gain experience from playing difficult non-conference games.
“When you play this kind of competition early, it’s going to make you a better basketball team,” Stansbury said after the loss to Miami. “The last two teams we played are no question NCAA tournament teams.”
The second-round loss to Southern Illinois secured the Salukis a spot in the tournament’s final game, where they would eventually lose to the University of Southern California Trojans, and sent the Bulldogs into a match-up for third place in the tournament against the RedHawks of Miami.
Behind the hot shooting of forward Michael Bramos and guard Alex Moosmann, who combined to score 19 of Miami’s first 21 points, the RedHawks established a 12-point lead halfway through the first half of the game.
Bramos parlayed his early hot streak into an impressive scoring performance by scoring a career-high 30 points in the contest.
“Bramos really played big early,” Stansbury said. “We had some breakdowns which led to him knocking down some threes.”
The Bulldogs chipped away at Miami’s lead throughout the remainder of the first half by playing improved offense and more effective defense.
As the teams headed into the locker rooms for halftime, Miami had just a five-point lead.
Mississippi State junior point guard Jamont Gordon and senior forward Charles Rhodes led the charge after halftime.
The two Bulldogs attacked the basket early in the second half, which led to a dunk for Rhodes and a lay-up for Gordon.
They also sank free throws, one of which tied the game at 31 apiece with 16 minutes left in the second half.
The game continued to be a tight one as it progressed, with both teams exchanging the lead throughout the half.
It eventually became knotted up 58-58 with only 1:46 remaining in the game.
A lay-up by Miami forward Tyler Dierkers presented the RedHawks with a 60-58 advantage with one minute left.
Following Dierkers’ lay-up, the Bulldogs took the basketball on their side of the court and gave it to Barry Stewart. Stewart attempted a pass to Ben Hansbrough, but the pass was intercepted by Bramos.
Bramos successfully completed a lay-up and was fouled by Hansbrough while he was in the act of shooting, which led to a free-throw attempt.
Bramos sank the free shot, extending the lead 63-58 with 41 seconds remaining in the game. The lead turned out to be too much for the Bulldogs, as they never mounted a comeback.
“You have to give Miami a lot of credit,” Stansbury said. “They made the plays in the last three or four minutes you have to make to win. We had breakdowns defensively and gave up a few offensive rebounds in the last two minutes. That’s the difference between winning and losing.”
Though the Bulldogs did not win their third-place game, they could still celebrate the achievements of one of their players.
Jamont Gordon was named to the Anaheim Classic all-tournament team based on his performances in the three games the team played.
Gordon led the team in scoring with 18 points per game during the tournament and also averaged five rebounds per game. He also commanded the respect of the opposing coaches at the tournament.
“Jamont is one of the best players I have seen since I have been here,” Southern Illinois head coach Chris Lowery said.