STARKVILLE — Ben Howland hopes the Mississippi State men’s basketball team’s victory against Ole Miss was the start of something.
The Bulldogs’ first-year head coach earned a win in his first meeting against the archrival Rebels in an 83-77 decision at Humphrey Coliseum.
But MSU lost to South Carolina 84-74 on Tuesday in Columbia, South Carolina. MSU (8-11, 1-6 Southeastern Conference) will try to get back on the winning side at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network) when it plays at Missouri (8-12, 1-6).
“I am really proud of the effort of the kids,” Howland said after the loss to South Carolina. “There is no quit in this team. They keep competing and playing hard.”
Against Ole Miss, freshman Malik Newman had a game-high 25 points, while classmate Quinndary Weatherspoon had 18. Against South Carolina, Weatherspoon had 19 and Newman had 15. MSU trailed 71-67 with 5 minutes, 8 seconds remaining, but South Carolina used a 13-7 run to end the game.
Howland said a 51-26 rebounding deficit against the Gamecocks was a big reason for the loss. He also said foul problems for the Bulldogs’ big men continues to be a problem.
“After everything’s said and done, we’re still right there with seven, eight minutes left,” said Howland, whose team has lost six conference games by an average of 6.5 points. “Our guys showed a lot of heart.”
Senior center Gavin Ware leads MSU in scoring (15.7 points per game). The former Starkville High School standout also leads the team in rebounding (7.3 per game). Newman is averaging 13.4 ppg., while Weatherspoon is averaging 10.4 ppg.
After starting 1-1 in conference play, Missouri has lost five in a row, including an 88-54 loss Wednesday at Kentucky. The Tigers have lost their six league games by an average of 18.3 points.
Missouri coach Kim Anderson said his team wasn’t able to overcome an early 20-2 deficit against Kentucky.
Freshman forward Kevin Puryear leads Missouri in scoring (11.4 ppg.), while junior guard Wes Clark is averaging 10.5 ppg.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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