STARKVILLE — Forty-eight hours later and the Mississippi State men’s basketball team still couldn’t shake it: the 3-ball simply was not falling.
After beating Green Bay on Monday despite 3-for-23 3-point shooting, MSU missed four of its first five shots against Stephen F. Austin on Wednesday night. All of the shots were 3-pointers.
Tyson Carter ended the streak with a layup. In doing so, he gave the first glimpse of the formula for a win.
Carter imposed his will with the dribble-drive, scoring a career-high 25 points with only one made 3-pointer. MSU beat Stephen F. Austin 80-75 before a crowd of 7,587 at Humphrey Coliseum.
Carter, a former standout at Starkville High School, was 9-for-14 from the field and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line. He added six rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 32 minutes. He started in place of Lamar Peters, who missed the game due to a violation of team rules.
Carter was 1-for-6 from 3-point range on a night MSU (4-0) was 6-for-18 from beyond the arc. Instead of relying on the 3-pointer in the second half, Carter and the Bulldogs capitalized on a crucial halftime adjustment.
“We had been struggling from the 3,” Carter said. “They didn’t have a true five man that can block shots, and they had been pressuring, so we felt like we could drive to the basket.”
MSU already tried to attack in the first half when it went 9 minutes, 30 seconds between 3-point attempts. MSU coach Ben Howland said that wasn’t by design, but he said his team’s offense early in the second half was. Five of MSU’s first seven shots after halftime came from inside the arc, including three consecutive layups by Carter that erased an eight-point deficit.
The showing was proof of growth from Carter, who has earned the label “shooter.” He said he noticed last season opponents would overcommit to “run (me) off the 3-point line,” so he wanted to add a dimension to his game to counteract that.
He showed it in adverse circumstances against Stephen F. Austin (4-1).
“This is a very hard team to play against. The way they play defense they deny everything and force you to drive,” Howland said. “We couldn’t go five out when we have two 5 men in there, but I thought Tyson’s play in the second half really spearheaded our ability to hit the rim. He did a great job of putting his head down and saying, ‘Ok, nobody’s going to help off the wing, so I’m going to keep driving at them.’ He finished in multiple ways, made a great pass to (Nick Weatherspoon).”
The start was Carter’s first of the season. Howland said after the game Peters’ return date “remains to be seen.”
After shooting 42.1 percent in the first half, MSU shot 66.7 percent (16-for-24) in the final 20 minutes. It was its second-highest mark for a half this season. MSU shot 67.7 percent in the second half against Florida A&M.
The Bulldogs’ 55.8-percent shooting mark from the field (24-for-43) on Wednesday night was its best of the season. It came against a team ranked nearly a full 100 spots ahead of any previous MSU opponent in defensive efficiency, according to Ken Pomeroy, the creator of the college basketball website and statistical archive, www.kenpom.com.
MSU’s ability to get to the rim enabled it to tie a season high with 35 free throws. Quinndary Weatherspoon was 11-for-14 from the line as a part of a 20-point night. He also had seven rebounds and six assists.
Through four games, MSU is shooting 27.1 percent (23-for-85) from 3-point range. Three-pointers account for 37.5 percent of the team’s shots. The Bulldogs also are shooting 75 percent (75-for-100) at the free-throw line.
Is MSU going to continue to follow that trend? On Wednesday, the Bulldogs were 18-for-25 from the field inside the 3-point line.
“I wouldn’t say that because we’re not going to keep shooting the ball like we are,” Carter said.
MSU’s first shot to prove it will be at 2 p.m. Sunday against Jacksonville State. A win would give MSU its first 5-0 start since 2014-15. Howland said the stretch of three games in five days could be a reason for the 3-point shooting. While that remains to be seen, Howland knows one thing.
“We are going to get better offensively,” Howland said, “I promise.”
Stapleton getting closer
Howland said after the game he hopes guard Xavian Stapleton (knee) will practice Saturday. His status for the game against Jacksonville State is unknown.
Howland said the training staff has been encouraged by Stapleton’s progress, but the program is still taking a cautious approach.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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