The Mississippi State Bulldogs hosted and defeated the Branch West Basketball Academy of California in Saturday’s exhibition opener with a score of 80-56. The game marked State’s first 40-minute contest since its 68-64 loss to Texas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in March. In the win, MSU held Branch West to 28.8 percent shooting from the field while pulling down 13 more rebounds. Marcus Campbell went seven of 10 from the field to lead the Bulldog scoring with 14 points while grabbing 10 boards. Timmy Bowers chipped in with 13 points and dished out four assists during his team-high 33 minutes.
Derrick Zimmerman also had four assists for the Bulldogs and came up with four steals to go along with his 11 points. Michal Ignerski had a game-high 11 rebounds to match his 11 points.
The Bulldogs shot a mere six of 21 behind the arc, but Winsome Frazier hit half of those 3-pointers in only five attempts.
MSU was without the services of All-SEC candidate Mario Austin, who according to other media outlets, was held out due to an investigation into an academic transcript. It is unsure whether Austin will return for Thursday’s game against the Harlem Globetrotters.
“It was a game time decision. We decided to hold Mario out until we get the issue cleared up,” MSU coach Rick Stansbury said.
Wesley Morgan, who underwent knee surgery on Friday, did not play, but will return in a month. Branden Vincent and Stephen Cowherd also missed due to injuries.
MSU took a 32-26 lead into halftime, but Branch West went on a 15-4 run to open the second half and claim a 41-36 advantage. With 13:58 remaining in the game, Zimmerman hit a jump shot to put the Bulldogs ahead for good.
Mississippi State’s next opponents, the Harlem Globetrotters, will visit The Hump on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. in the Bulldogs’ final preseason affair. MSU begins its regular season on Nov. 23, at home against Louisiana-Lafayette.