The Mississippi State Bulldogs traveled to Oxford Saturday to take on Ole Miss, capturing a thrilling 82-80 victory over the Rebels before a sold-out crowd at Tad Smith Coliseum.
Head coach Rick Stansbury gave his team credit after proving it can stick together and succeed with a win to finish the regular season.
“I’m very proud of our team from a coach’s standpoint. As you know, we have had some very difficult losses,” Stansbury said. “Losses like those will cut the heart out of your team, and sometimes it’s not really easy to stay together and stay focused and keep believing and working, but this team deserves much credit for doing that.”
The teams matched up very evenly, as the score was tied 13 times throughout the game with nine lead changes.
Ole Miss jumped ahead early in the game with a 4-0 lead after two free throws from Ole Miss guard Terrico White. White was expected to be a factor in the game, as he was averaging 18.3 points per game in SEC, which is first among freshmen. White finished with 21 points.
Freshman guard Dee Bost quickly got into foul trouble, causing Stansbury to substitute freshman Twany Beckham.
The freshman guard combination of Bost and Beckham provided solid point guard play, combining for eight assists and no turnovers.
With 11:37 left in the first half, senior Brian Johnson hit two free throws to help the Bulldogs chip away at the 19-11 lead the Rebels held.
Sophomore Kodi Augustus continued his momentum from Wednesday, proving to be a factor from inside the paint as well as hitting a three with 10:30 left in the first half, bringing the score to 19-16. Shortly after a crucial layup from freshman Romero Osby, Augustus cut the Rebels’ lead to one after a powerful dunk, quieting the Rebels’ home crowd.
Augustus said his recent personal success wasn’t a result of anything he’d done differently.
“First off, I keep God first, then I keep practicing hard and just wait my time. When I get in, I try to play hard and help my team out and be consistent and do what the coaches tell me to do,” Augustus said.
Late in the first half, Ole Miss got a three-pointer from Zach Graham to knot the score at 42 at the half.
As the second half got underway, the Bulldogs jumped out to a quick two-point lead after consecutive layups by sophomore Phil Turner, leaving the score at 46-44 with 18:42 left in game. Shortly after, veteran juniors Jarvis Varnardo and Barry Stewart got into foul trouble, causing the Bulldogs to rely heavily on their bench. The bench responded in kind, combining for 27 points.
Varnado said foul trouble caused him to play much more carefully.
“I couldn’t go for much shot blocking so I had to be smart when I got back in. I think Brian Johnson and Kodi Augustus came in and added to it and played tremendous for us,” Varnardo said.
With 10:42 left in the game, the Rebels gained a second wind and started to pull away. White slammed a dunk to give Ole Miss a 63-57 lead. That lead quickly diminished after a jumper from Augustus and a three from Osby.
With the game winding down, the Rebels frantically tried to regain the lead but never seized an opportunity. An attempt at a buzzer beater by White was unsuccessful and the Bulldogs won 82-80.
Stewart led the Bulldogs’ scoring effort, as he finished the day with 14 points, while Bost and Augustus both finished with 13.
The win closed the Bulldogs’ regular season at 19-12 (9-7 SEC), locking up third place in the West. Ole Miss dropped to 16-14 (7-9 SEC) and closed the year tied for fourth in the West.
Mississippi State will travel to Tampa, Fla., Thursday to play Georgia in the first round of the 2009 SEC basketball tournament. The Bulldogs beat Georgia 67-61 at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga. Thursday’s winner will move on to play the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second round of the SEC tournament Friday.
Sports Editor Brandon Wright contributed to this story.