From Special Reports
STARKVILLE — The defending NAIA champions Pikeville Bears gave the Mississippi State men’s basketball team an early run Friday night, but a balanced and dominating second-half performance by the Bulldogs’ starting five closed the door on Pikeville’s upset bid.
Led by 17-point performances by freshman Rodney Hood and Jalen Steele, MSU outscored Pikeville 54-32 in the second half to post a 94-70 victory in its final exhibition game of the preseason at Humphrey Coliseum.
A 3-pointer by Hood five minutes into the second-half sparked a 20-4 run for MSU and helped it build a 19-point lead. MSU State shot 55.6 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from 3-point range in the second-half to lock up the victory.
MSU’s starting lineup put up solid performances, including a double-double from Arnett Moultrie (11 points, 11 rebounds). Renardo Sidney had 12 points and five rebounds, Dee Bost played a game-high 32 minutes and had 16 points, four assists, and five steals. Brian Bryant had 12 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
Jalen Steele, coming back from an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered last season, led bench scorers with 17 points in 22 minutes.
“I felt good,” Steele said. “I knew coming off the bench I had a job to do and what I had to do.”
Pikeville showed MSU why it is the defending NAIA national champion, leading for a majority of the first half and trailing by two at halftime.
“I want to give credit to Pikeville, because they showed why they are defending NAIA champions,” MSU coach Rick Stansbury said. “They are a good basketball team.”
MSU took the early lead with a Bryant free throw, but a jumper gave the Bears a lead they wouldn’t relinquish for the next nine minutes. A three by guard Jamar Board with 16 minutes, 5 seconds left in the first gave Pikeville its largest lead of the game at six.
With the score tied, Bost capitalized off a turnover by draining a 3-pointer, giving the Bulldogs the lead for the remainder of the game.
MSU put up solid numbers from all-around in the first half, including 53.6 percent from the field and outperformed Pikeville in the paint, 20-10.
MSU was 35 of 64 shots from the field (54.7 percent), including 8 of 22 from long-range (36.4), and 16 of 24 from the free-throw line (66.7). Pikeville was 30 of 72 from the field (41.7), 6 of 26 from 3-point range (23.1), and 4 of 10 from the foul line (40).
MSU dominated in the paint, 50-22, and held a 41-39 rebounding edge.
Pikeville received a team-leading 18 points, along with six rebounds, from Trevor Setty, who managed nine points each half. Board had 17 points, but only five in the second half.
MSU will tip off its 100th season of basketball at 7 p.m. Monday against Eastern Kentucky at Humphrey Coliseum. The matchup is the first game in the regional rounds of the 2K Classic.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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