The Mississippi State men’s basketball team kicked off their exhibition schedule Saturday night with an impressive showing against Branch West Basketball Academy of California. The Bulldogs overcame a slow start to overtake BWBA 110-89, paced by Bulldog newcomer Michal Ignerski, who led the maroon in scoring. Ignerski, who transferred from Eastern Oklahoma State College, where he was named third team All-American, scored 16 points on seven of nine shooting from the field. Ignerski also pulled down eight rebounds and hit two three-pointers in 20 minutes of work Saturday night. Edmund Saunders from BWBA, who was a member of Connecticut’s 1999 NCAA national championship team, led all scorers with 33 points.
The Bulldogs, one of the top rebounding teams in the country last season, still showed that they can rule the boards, pulling down 55 rebounds to BWBA’s 32. Ontario Harper and Ignerski paced the Bulldogs with eight rebounds apiece, while Marckell Patterson pulled down seven. The Dogs trailed early in the game, 24-20 with 11:18 left in the first half but went on a furious 21-7 run that put the maroon up 10 with 6:06 remaining in the first frame. The Bulldogs led 57-44 at the half, out-rebounding BWBA 28-16, and shooting 51 percent from the field. Bulldog junior Derrick Zimmerman played well at the point for the Dogs, scoring 14 points and dishing out seven assists.
“I thought that we did really well on the offensive end,” MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said. “We just need to improve on the defensive side of the court.”
The Bulldogs will have a chance to make some improvements in practice this week, as they prepare for the Birmingham (England) Bullets who come calling to Starkville on Saturday, Nov. 10. Once again, admission is free, and tip-off is set for 7 p.m.