Mississippi State University (10-1) had a slow start but came out guns blazing in the second half of their 64-48 blowout of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (3-10).
It was a big night for junior guard Quinndary Weatherspoon, who became the 37th player in school history to score 1,000 career points.
“It means a lot to me,” Weatherspoon said. “I just credit my teammates from my freshman year to now. To give me the opportunity to score the basketball.”
The Canton native also led the team in scoring on the night with 21 points and made 63 percent of his shots. He played well both ways, grabbing eight rebounds, stealing the ball twice and blocking a shot.
“He is playing a complete game, he is guarding the other team’s best player a lot of the game,” head coach Ben Howland said. “That is what really good players do, I am really excited about how he is playing and that he is helping us win.”
MSU struggled early in the game, going back and forth with the Trojans and taking a three-point lead into halftime. After talking to the team at halftime, Howland’s team went on a 22-8 run over the first 8:02 of the second half.
This is the second game in a row where MSU had a small lead into halftime and then proceeded to run their opponent out of the gym in the second half like their 92-61 win over the University of Tennessee at Martin.
“We are coming out flat in the first half and that is something we need to change,” Weatherspoon said. “I think once the game gets going and we go into halftime and see what is going on. I think we all get our mind right and play hard in the second half.”
Abdul Ado grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds and blocked three shots. Aric Holman was second on the team in points with 10 and he blocked two shots.
Despite the blowout, MSU struggled to make shots. They only made 39.3 percent of the shots from the floor and only made five of their 25 three-point shots. They also struggled from the charity stripe, going 15-27 from the free throw line, good for 55 percent.
“We are going to shoot foul shots tomorrow,” Howland said.
On Saturday, MSU will travel to Jackson for their game against the University of Southern Mississippi in the Mississippi Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
