It took four and a half games, but the Mississippi State offense finally kicked into gear against Nicholls State as the Bulldogs rolled to a record-setting 98-69 win over the Colonels in front of 6,738 fans in their opening game at Humphrey Coliseum.
Mississippi State led only 37-29 at halftime against a team coming off of a 6-21 record last season, but scored 61 points in the final 20 minutes to pull away.
Lawrence Roberts had one of the finest outings in Mississippi State basketball history, recording the program’s first ever triple-double with 18 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds.
Roberts got the record with 2:57 remaining in the game, as the pre-season All American grabbed two consecutive rebounds and made the putback as he was fouled hard by the Colonels’ Jason Wilkins.
After the foul, Roberts gave an emotional pump of the fist and threw his protective mask toward the bench.
“That was frustration and excitement at the same time,” Roberts said. “I’m just hoping I can go without the mask.”
“He complains about the mask every possession,” head coach Rick Stansbury said. “He always tells me ‘Coach, I’m not going to wear it.’ I tell him ‘No Lawrence, you’ve got to wear it.’ But I’ll tell you one thing. He’s not afraid to stick his nose in there. He got 11 rebounds today so that shows you he’s not afraid.”
Roberts said he was surprised that his triple-double was the first in school history but, as usual, downplayed the event.
“I didn’t know it was the first triple-double (in MSU history),” Roberts said. I’m excited to do that. It shows that we played as a team and played hard.”
Roberts’ big game wasn’t the only excitement for the Bulldogs. It appeared that MSU’s offense finally figured out how to play against a zone defense.
After barely looking down low and jacking up 19 three point attempts in the first half (and only making six of them) and scoring only six points in the paint against the much smaller Colonels, the Bullies were much more patient in the second half.
The Dawgs got the ball to Roberts inside and let him either go up for the shot or pass to a man cutting toward the basket when he was being double teamed. This led to easy baskets down low.
“I don’t like coming down and shooting threes without the ball going inside to Lawrence Roberts,” Stansbury said. “The ball has got to go inside out versus a zone, you can’t always settle for three point shots.”
“They were doubling (Roberts) down low every possession and since they were doubling we’d throw it in there to Lawrence and let them bring the help and everybody else just cut and set off of that,” Ontario Harper said.
Harper had a fine game of his own, scoring 12 points off the bench as he continued to impress in his return to the team after a year’s absence due to ACL surgery.
“If you told me that Ontario was going to be this productive after he sat out a year we’d all be very happy to take it,” Stansbury said. “He given me great leadership and he brings great experience out there.”
“I really didn’t know if I’d be able to come back this year or not but I’m going to work hard and give it everything I’ve got,” Harper said. “It feels great just being able to play with (the team).”
Point guard Jamall Edmonson also had a good showing in his Humphrey Coliseum debut. The junior college transfer scored a career high 12 points.
Edmonson was ineligible to play in the first two games of the season and played sparingly in New York City, but the junior showed Bulldog fans what he can do, knocking down four three pointers in six attempts.
The Bulldogs have a very short turnaround as they play the University of Missouri at Kansas City Kangaroos tonight in The Hump at 7:30. It will be the second game of a double-header as the MSU Lady Bulldogs will take on Baylor at 5 p.m.
“We won’t have any practice time (before the next game),”Stansbury said. “Kansas City will be a much better basketball team. We’ve just got to come out and survive it like we did today.”