Before setting off on a trip to New York to play some of the country’s top-ranked basketball teams in the championship round of the 2k Sports Classic, the Mississippi State men’s basketball team was able to take a break from tournament play and ride a 19-0 first half run to topple the South Alabama Jaguars 80-65 at Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday.
Junior forward Arnett Moultrie, who went just 2-13 from the field against Akron, led the way for the Bulldogs with 28 points on 9-16 shooting and added 13 rebounds.
After the game, Moultrie, a transfer from the University of Texas at El Paso, said MSU’s plan going into Saturday’s game was to get him involved early and often in the offense.
“I wanted to come out tonight aggressive offensively to get myself back into rhythm,” Moultrie said. “I watched the film from the last game (against Akron), I just needed to slow down and that’s what I did tonight and it worked well.”
Moultrie’s play in the interior helped State out-rebound the Jaguars 41-33, including an 18-8 advantage on the offensive glass, a stat that would seem surprising without the presence of junior starting forward Renardo Sidney, who missed the contest with a groin injury.
With Sidney not on the floor, State had to make several lineup adjustments throughout the game, something to which MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said his team adapted well.
“We had to make some makeshift lineups that we hadn’t had a chance to work with playing small,” Stansbury said. “We had to play small a bunch, and we had to play small against their bigs. I’m proud of our kids’ effort and how well they played.”
When asked about Sidney’s status for the Bulldogs’ trip to New York, Stansbury said the team will just have to wait and see.
“We didn’t know (Sidney) wasn’t going to play until game time,” Stansbury said. “We’ll see (if he plays in the next game).”
Sidney’s presence of the court might not be as vital as most would think, though. South Alabama head coach Ronnie Arrow said after the game that Sidney playing would have actually made it easier on his team.
“They’re a very explosive team, especially without Sidney in there,” Arrow said. “They’re much quicker, and they get up the court really well. They played with a lot of confidence without him.”
Without the aid of Sidney, the Bulldogs got much-needed production from several other sources, including senior point guard Dee Bost, who had 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Freshman forward Rodney Hood also played a vital role in State’s second win of the young 2011-2012 season. The freshman scored 15 points on 6-11 shooting and added four rebounds.
After playing a total of four exhibition and regular season games in eight days, MSU will get an extended amount of rest before traveling to New York City to play in the final round of the 2011 2k Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden.
Upon arriving in the Big Apple, the Bulldogs will take on the Texas A&M Aggies, who are ranked 20th in the preseason Associated Press poll. Although many expected State to be undefeated at this point of the season, Dee Bost said he thinks the loss was beneficial to MSU.
“We wanted to be 3-0, but I think that loss against Akron kind of helped us,” Bost said. “Some teams need a loss to get them right, and I think we’re going with a different mindset when we take it to New York.”
MSU’s game against the Aggies, one of several non-SEC games designed to improve the strength of the Bulldogs’ non-conference schedule, will be played Thursday at 6 p.m. on ESPN2 and ESPN3. Depending on the outcome, State will either take on the 16th-ranked Arizona Wildcats or the St. John’s Red Storm on Friday night.