Alabama’s Mykal Riley changed the course of Mississippi State’s first SEC Tournament game not once, but twice on Friday night as the Bulldogs (22-9) skidded past the Crimson Tide 69-67.The 6-foot-6 senior, who led Alabama (17-16) with 18 points, nailed a crucial three-pointer to send both teams into overtime with a 59-59 game.
State came back with a 64-61 lead thanks to a three by Ben Hansbrough, but that lead would be short-lived. Jamont Gordon, who scored a double-double on the evening along with Jarvis Varnado, told a Raycom Sports commentator he felt the arena’s court shake.
Officials rushed both teams to their locker rooms and fans waited it out, as a few bolts and pieces of insulation rained down from the Georgia Dome’s ceiling. High winds and an unconfirmed tornado outside the arena caused minor damage to the outside of the structure.
After a 64-minute delay, both teams kept at each other until the last play of the game. Riley held his team’s fate in his hands as he shot a three with a half-second left in overtime, and missed, giving the Bulldogs a ticket to the SEC semifinals.
Gordon, despite shooting 3 points during the first half of the contest, led his Dawgs in scoring, racking up a game-high 23 points. Varnado tacked on an additional three blocks to his already impressive record. The Brownsville, Tenn., native sits just 10 shy of tying the all-time NCAA record for blocked shots, established by Shaquille O’Neal during his 1991-92 season with the LSU Tigers.
The Dawgs move on to play the winner of the Georgia-Kentucky game Saturday night.
Check The Reflector for more coverage of the Bulldogs in this year’s SEC Tournament.