After falling just short of victory  in its last two games, the Mississippi State University basketball team was rewarded at the Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday as it triumphed against LSU in a physical contest 73-67.
Although the Bulldogs were out rebounded on the offensive boards 18-9, they held a talent-laden LSU team to a 37 percent shooting. Fred Thomas led all Bulldog scorers off the bench, bucketing a season-high 18 points while shooting 5-8 from the field. 
Head Coach Rick Ray talked about the magnitude of the win after the game.
 “That’s a great win for our guys and the program,” Ray said. “There is no doubt LSU is an NCAA tournament team. They have some guys who will play in the NBA. That is probably the second-most talented team in the league, so that was a huge win.”
The Bulldogs shut down the SEC’s No. 1 scoring offense. On most possessions, LSU could not get the ball inside to their talented big men Jordan Mickey, who averaged 16.4 points per game, and Jarell Martin, who averaged 16 points per game. The defense held Martin to a mere four points on the day.
The win was a refreshing one for the Bulldogs, as they came up short the last two matchups against Georgia and Ole Miss. They fought hard in both games, but lost the lead late in both contests. Bulldog point guard I.J. Ready said he felt as if the team focused on finishing the game strong this time out.
“We really focused on playing 40 minutes and not 30 minutes,” Ready said. He contributed 12 points to the victory, six of which were from three-point shots. 
“We knew we played great against Georgia and Ole Miss, and we know we are a good team. So we just focused on playing 40 minutes. When the other guys get down, it is my job to get them back up.”
Both teams struggled to make baskets in the first half, but the Bulldogs went into the half with a 31-28 lead. LSU out-rebounded Mississippi State 27-17 and outscored them on second-chance points 11-2.
“We just had to defend and rebound better in the second half,” Fred Thomas said. “We are playing with a lot of confidence right now even though we lost the last couple of games. Coach told me my job was to defensive rebound and bring energy. So that is what I tried to do.”
MSU came out after the half and followed Ray’s orders, as the team only allowed five second-chance points in the second half.
Thomas was told to bring energy off the bench, and that was apparent as he slammed in a dunk after tiptoeing the baseline, sending the Hump into a frenzy.
Another dunk by senior Roquez Johnson with 3:26 left in the game gave the Bulldogs the lead 58-57, which the Bulldogs refused to surrender.
To seal the game, MSU hit its final eight free throws from the line, not giving LSU the chance to make some last minute heroics to take a victory away from the Bulldogs.
Junior Gavin Ware posted another double-double, as he scored 12 points and hauled in 10 rebounds. Craig Sword was second in scoring for the Bulldogs, racking up 14 points while shooting 50 percent from the field. 
The Bulldogs improved their record to 10-11, 3-5 in SEC play.
Mississippi State’s next game will be on the road for a Tuesday night contest with the Tennessee Volunteers. The Bulldogs will return home on Feb. 10 to host the Alabama Crimson Tide.