In the world of sports, a team can be the dog, or a team can be the fire hydrant. The Mississippi State Bulldogs proudly made a hydrant out of the No.5 Alabama Crimson Tide in a 76-62 upset Saturday at Humphrey Coliseum. The convincing win marked the second time this year that a top 10 guest has loaded a loss on the bus with their luggage. The Bulldogs sank 12 threes on their way to shooting a torrid 63.2 percent from behind the arc. State was also tough inside the line, going 56.1 percent from the floor, and an improved 66.7 percent from the free throw line.
On the other side of the ball, the MSU defense held a high-octane ‘Bama offense, averaging almost 80 points per game, to just 34.8 percent from the field, which included a dismal 3-24 showing from three point range.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our effort and the win tonight. It was not just who we beat, but how we beat them. We had our backs against the wall after Wednesday night, but we responded well, without me even mentioning it in practice,” MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said. “After Wednesday, I wasn’t going to say today was a must-win situation, but the team knew that [it was].”
The loss to Georgia on Wednesday put State at 4-5 in the conference. The ‘Dawgs were cornered, but Stansbury said that they did not panic, and that was essential to rebounding against the Tide.
The Bulldogs, third in the SEC West, battled through the partial first half absences of sophomore center Mario Austin and junior point guard Derrick Zimmerman. Austin left in the first five minutes of the game after an elbow split his head. He returned shortly after the gash had been stitched. Zimmerman picked up his second personal foul with 12 minutes left and went to the bench. Sophomore Timmy Bowers went above and beyond the call of duty in the win. Bowers soared through the air for two dunks and drained four threes en route to his career high tally of 24. Bowers attributed the success to the Thursday and Friday practices against the zone.
Defensive and rebounding specialist Michael Gholar not only shut down Rod Grizzard, but also led the team in boards with nine and exploded for his season high of 15 points in 35 minutes of battle. Stansbury emphasized the importance of Gholar’s work, “He took on the challenge of guarding Rod Grizzard and did an excellent job defending him. Grizzard was not a factor here tonight, and that’s thanks to Gholar.”
Senior Marckell Patterson and junior Michal Ignerski both sank two threes and posted 10 points each in the team victory.
While the shooting percentages of both teams were key to the outcome of the game, Stansbury cited the play of the Bulldog defense that held the Tide to just eight assists, six below their average, as what the team needs to continue the rest of the season.
Up next for State is a trip to Louisiana State for a rematch of the Jan. 26 win that was the Bulldogs’ biggest win of the conference season.