Two days after suffering its first loss of the season, the Mississippi State men’s basketball team responded in a big way Sunday by taking down Coastal Carolina 81-56 in Myrtle Beach Invitational at the HTC Center in Conway, South Carolina.
“It was a nice bounce back win for us,” MSU coach Ben Howland told The Dispatch. “After that Villanova loss, our guys really focused on the next game. I was really proud of the efforts from Tyson (Carter), Reggie (Perry) and Robert (Woodard II) today.”
Perry continued his efficient 3-point shooting Sunday by knocking down all three shots he took from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-10 sophomore finished with 16 points and six assists. After starting the year 1-for-10 from 3-point range, Perry went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc in the three Myrtle Beach Invitational contests.
“I’ve always stayed confident in my shot,” Perry told The Dispatch. “It’s been good to see those shots go down and I have to credit my teammates by getting me open looks.”
Carter recorded his second double-double of the season, scoring a game-high 19 points and dishing out 10 assists with no turnovers.
“He’s really playing well,” Perry said of Carter. “He knows it’s his last year in Starkville and really wants to prove that he belongs at the next level.”
Meanwhile, Woodard II scored eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while D.J. Stewart contributed 11 points off the bench.
The Bulldogs didn’t waste much time racing out to a big lead, taking a 41-23 lead into halftime and never relinquishing it. As a team, MSU (6-1) shot 52.7 percent from the floor and made 10 of 23 long range shots while outrebounding Coastal Carolina 36-31.
Tommy Burton lead Coastal Carolina (3-4) with 13 points, while DeVante Jones (10) and Tim Ceaser (10) finished in double figures. The Chanticleers shot 35.2 percent from the floor and 3-of-16 from 3-point range.
MSU is back in action at 7 p.m. Dec. 5 against Louisiana Tech at Humphrey Coliseum.
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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