The third time proved to be a charm for Mississippi State Saturday, as they bested LSU 67-57 in the conference tournament semifinals after falling twice to the Tigers in the regular season.
The win is the fifth straight for the Bulldogs, who move on to the SEC championship game Sunday.
Junior center Jarvis Varnado totaled a game-high 19 points to go with 7 rebounds and 7 blocks. Junior guard Barry Stewart added 17 points, including a solid 10-12 from the free throw line to help seal the win.
State avoided the slow start they had incurred in the first two games of the tournament, jumping out to an 8-2 lead, then a 13-7 lead before LSU stormed back.
The game then became a true seesaw affair with 8 lead changes in the first half alone, but State managed to take a 2-point lead into the locker room.
For five minutes of the second half, the pace continued much like the end of the first. With just over 14 minutes left in the game, however, State went on a 7-0 scoring spurt, building a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. The Tigers would get no closer than four points the rest of the way, with State building as much as a 16-point lead after Stewart hit four straight free throws thanks to a personal foul and ensuing technical foul.
Though the win was the fifth straight for the Bulldogs, this one looked very different. In the previous four, State had scored more than 80 three times and 79 once and had shot well from beyond the arc.
This game was a much more physical, defensive battle that saw the Dawgs hit less than 20 percent from downtown. MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said the team’s ability to adapt really demonstrates a higher level of maturity.
“It started two or three weeks ago; I thought our team was starting to get better defensively and rebound a little better,” he said. “One play here or there is the difference between winning or losing, but our team has started making more of those plays again.”
Stewart said the team’s confidence level is very high heading into the championship game.
“Winning cures all things. So right now the team’s playing with a lot of confidence,” he said. “Our starters, our bench is coming in and doing some things, and it’s just helping the whole team.
The championship game is the biggest yet for the Bulldogs, who need to win to secure an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. State faces the winner of the Auburn/Tennessee game at noon CST Sunday.