As Charles Rhodes took his curtain call with 1:45 remaining in the game and leaned down to plant a kiss on the M-State logo at center court, one thing was clear: The Mississippi State Bulldogs had reclaimed their home court swagger.
Rhodes unloaded a career-high 27 points, culminating with a mushy moment with the floor, as MSU dominated the second half to cruise to an 83-68 victory over Georgia on Sunday.
“I thought I was going to hit 30,” said Rhodes, who had scored 24 on two occasions this year. “I said that if I ever get my career high at The Hump, I will kiss the floor, so I had to do it.”
Mississippi State (14-13, 4-10 SEC) found itself down by as many as 13 in the first half, but a Rhodes dunk off a Delk feed cut the deficit to eight. Rhodes then rejected a shot the next trip down the court, leading to another high-wire act for Rhodes and giving MSU the momentum to close the first half only down 37-32.
But the Maroon and White highlight reel was just getting started.
Slater converted a three-point play off one of his signature improbable lay-ups almost immediately after the break.
Jamont Gordon and Rhodes hooked up with an alley-oop minutes later to give the Bulldogs a 38-37 lead. A Gordon three-pointer, a Delk slam and another three-point play from Slater followed in what would turn into a 16-0 MSU run.
In recent years, the Humphrey Coliseum has gained a reputation as being one of the toughest places to play in the Southeastern Conference.
However, Mississippi State began their 2005-2006 campaign with a league record of just 1-3, one more loss than the team suffered in all of its home games last year.
Since that start, MSU has now run off three straight home wins, all by double-digits.
“That was just showing the fans appreciation,” Rhodes said of his gesture. “We’ve been through our skid, and they’ve been supporting us.”
But Rhodes was not the only Bulldog to pencil in new individual bests. Slater recorded a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds to give him his third straight double-double.
“They (Georgia) were pushing and banging on me, thinking I’m not going to push back,” Slater said. “I like the physical game. I can’t play soft, and if the refs don’t call it and I don’t foul out, I love it.”
Fans saw Slater’s point total soar, as he put in an array of lay-ups, putbacks and three-point plays.
“It starts at the defensive end,” Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said. “When he is active defensively, so much more happens for him on offense. One thing we’ve never questioned about Dietric Slater is his effort.”
Meanwhile, freshman Richard Delk set career marks in points (13), rebounds (8), assists (5), shots made (6) and shots attempted (10) and played with an added boost of confidence.
“Richard Delk gave us a lot out there doing a lot of different things,” Stansbury said. “He had another level of quickness tonight that I have not seen from him, and that was huge.”
Delk got the start over Jamall Edmondson, who has been hampered by a groin injury suffered at the beginning of the season. The senior guard could not attend the game after being diagnosed with pneumonia. He is, according to Stansbury, regarded as doubtful for the rest of the regular season.
Gordon scored 13 points and had a game-high 12 rebounds for Mississippi State.
A shell-shocked Georgia team, prided in the conference for their defense and physicality, would not get closer than seven points for the rest of the game. UGA missed its first 12 shots in the second half and would not score a single point until a Steve Newman lay-up with 13:36 remaining.
“I thought our kids came out in the second half and played with that other level of energy and toughness,” Stansbury said. “Our ability to defend and our ability to rebound allowed us to play out in transition.”
Georgia (15-12, 5-9) frustrated State early with its 1-3-1 trap, but MSU quickly made adjustments and wound up shooting 58 percent for the game. Conversely, UGA shot 35 percent and was outrebounded 48-31.
Levi Stukes scored 17 points for Georgia, 11 of which came in the first 7 1/2 minutes. Sundiata Gaines and Channing Toney each added 11.
“I think Mississippi State’s defense, especially in the second half, was as good as I have seen it from all the tape I’ve watched,” Georgia coach Dennis Felton said. “I felt they were playing really hard and really aggressively especially when they got some momentum going and the crowd got into it.”