The clock is running down, it is a tied ball game and Mississippi State University’s Quinndary Weatherspoon has the ball. As the final seconds run down, he pulls up for a three and swishes it with less than a second on the clock, giving MSU a 59-56 win over Jacksonville State University.
“I had four or five second, but I just wanted to get a clean look and it fell,” Quinndary Weatherspoon said.
MSU (5-0) remains undefeated with the win over JSU (4-2).
Quinndary Weatherspoon’s three capped off a team-leading 13 point performance. He also went 6-11 from the field.
He was joined by fellow guard Nick Weatherspoon, a freshman who continues to show why he was rated so highly coming out of high school. Nick Weatherspoon had 12 points, and went 5-9 from the field.
Head coach Ben Howland talked about the way Quinndary Weatherspoon has handled an increase in responsibility with point guard Lamar Peters sidelined by an injury.
“They both did a good job tonight,” Howland said. “(Quinndary) was especially good going to the basket. We are playing him at the point right now out of necessity and he is handling it.”
Jacksonville State walked into their locker room at halftime with a 29-25 lead, one they held for almost 14 minutes into the second half. This lead broke when a goaltend was called on Nick Weatherspoon’s lay-up, giving MSU a 50-49 lead.
Quandary Weatherspoon talked about the attitude coming out of the MSU locker room.
“We knew we had a bad first half and just wanted to come out strong in the second half,” Quinndary Weatherspoon said.
The game remained tight all the way to the buzzer-beating finish. JSU was unable to retake the lead, but only tie it. Quinndary Weatherspoon’s dagger fell with 0.7 seconds left in the game. JSU’s inbound pass on the following play was knocked down.
“Three close games in a row here, so my hair continues to recede,” Howland said. “We did a great job of not giving up.”
Forwards Aric Holman and Abdul Ado led the team on the defensive end. Ado blocked three shots, and pulled in eight rebounds. Holman blocked two shots, and grabbed six rebounds. Holman also was third on the team with 11 points.
MSU will look to remain undefeated in their next matchup against North Dakota State University on Thursday. The game is at The Hump, and tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
Howland gave no comment on guards E.J. Datcher, who left this game, and Lamar Peters, who sat out this game with injury.
