The Mississippi State University’s men’s basketball team put up a fight as they pulled away from the University of Alabama Crimson Tide with a 67-63 victory on Tuesday night.
It was a back-and-forth affair throughout the game, with both teams showing dominance on their end of the floor. Ultimately, the Bulldogs (18-6, 6-5 SEC) came away with a win behind the outstanding play by the Weatherspoon brothers, with Nick taking the lead in scoring with 18 points, and Quinndary closely behind him with 15.
Head coach for the Crimson Tide (15-9, 6-5 SEC), Avery Johnson, Sr., praised MSU for how well they played against his team, mostly on the defensive end. 
“They did a terrific job at defending us,” Johnson said. “We tried to get the ball inside, but maybe they front the post. They were not going to allow you get it in.”
MSU’s defense was an important key in their win Tuesday, as they caused Alabama 13 turnovers, as well blocking seven shots and stealing the ball four times to keep the Crimson Tide from using their offense to get rolling.
MSU’s two big men, Abdul Ado and Aric Holman, put on a defensive clinic as the two combined for six blocks and 12 rebounds, with Holman leading the team in rebounds, as he had seven.
When asked about the mentality on Tuesday’s game, Nick Weatherspoon, a freshman from Canton, commented on the confidence of the team
“It’s a crazy conference,” Nick Weatherspoon said. “We saw that some of the teams we beat, they’ve beat them. So, after seeing those teams beat them, we know that we could beat them.”
The Bulldogs’ head coach Ben Howland commented on the big win against Alabama.
“When you think about some of their (Alabama’s) wins, this is obviously our best win of the year,” Howland said. “They (the Bulldogs) are preparing so hard and I’m really proud of that. Their ability to lock into doing what we are doing.”
The Bulldogs next game is 1 p.m. Saturday at Missouri. The next home game for the Bulldogs is against Ole Miss at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17.