STARKVILLE – In the midst of a five-game losing streak, Mississippi State’s basketball team is searching for answers.
For just the second time this month, that search returns home tonight. Playing at the Humphrey Coliseum for just the second time since Nov. 24, MSU (5-5) will host Jacksonville University (4-9) at 7 p.m.
The last time MSU played in Starkville, last Wednesday night, the Bulldogs dropped a disappointing 69-55 decision to Arkansas State. The Bulldogs then followed that with a 53-51 loss to South Carolina-Upstate on Saturday in Jackson, the fifth loss of MSU’s current slide. It’s the Bulldogs first five-game losing streak to non-conference opponents since the 1963-64 season.
To third-year coach Rick Ray, the emphasis for tonight’s game will be effort, not breaking the streak.
“That’s not something we can change overnight, so we can’t focus on that,” Ray said. “We focus on the things we can change, and that’s our effort.”
Ray believes the Bulldogs’ effort, which he says was lacking in the loss to Arkansas State, was better against S.C.-Upstate. But despite the uptick in effort, the Bulldogs still fell to the Spartans before a crowd of 1,246 in the Mississippi Coliseum.
“The mood in the locker room, there are no hanging heads,” said junior forward Fred Thomas, who posted seven points and eight rebounds with several of his family members in the crowd. “We played great this game. …We just have to overcome this.”
Tonight marks the fourth meeting between the two schools, with MSU winning the first three outings. The two last met in 2003 with the Bulldogs claiming a 100-65 victory.
It will be the last game for MSU until Dec. 30, when it returns from the Christmas break to play McNeese State.
For the Bulldogs, senior post player Roquez Johnson, who was moved to the bench for two games before returning to the starting lineup on Saturday, leads the team with 12.3 points per game. He scored 20 against Arkansas State and 15 against Upstate, both performances coming in losses. Joining Johnson in double figures this season have been Thomas at 11.5 points per game and junior center Gavin Ware, who’s contributing 10.4 points per game. Ware missed a portion of the Upstate game after leaving early in the first half due to an ankle injury. He did return.
Also on the injury front, freshmen Maurice Dunlap, a shooting guard, and Demetrius Houston, a forward, each missed Saturday’s game with injuries.
In Jacksonville, MSU will host an opponent that has lost nine of 13 games this season. The Dolphins have not beaten a Division-I team this season and their lone game against a Southeastern Conference resulted in a 79-34 loss at Florida.
Jacksonville has two players scoring in double digits in Kori Babineaux (13.6) and Andris Misters (12.0).
While Saturday’s game was another loss, Ray hopes to see the Bulldogs continue to exert the same effort that they showed against Upstate.
“Our guys made a concerted effort to do the things the coaching staff wanted them to do,” Ray said. “…We have to continue to do the things we did today.”
Follow Dispatch Sports Writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.