STARKVILLE — Mississippi State men’s basketball coach Ben Howland visualizes a bigger role for junior guard Tyson Carter this season.
Fortunately for Howland and the Bulldogs, Carter is finding his comfort zone.
First off the bench for No. 17 MSU, Carter’s role grew much bigger after Nick Weatherspoon went down with injury during a 79-51 victory against Long Beach State on Friday night before a season-high crowd of 8,106 at Humphrey Coliseum.
“We need Tyson Carter great every night,” Howland said. “Tonight, he was huge because we lost Nick early. But we need this kind of Tyson Carter every night. He makes us a much better team.”
Carter scored 17 points and had six rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 32 minutes. The Starkville native added upper body strength in the offseason and gained confidence in his shot.
“I have more comfort on the floor,” Carter said. “Just less hesitation and more going all out. After a couple of years playing in the league, you learn some things. During this offseason, a lot hard work was put in by all the guys. You are seeing that pay off now.”
Sophomore Nick Weatherspoon remains the heart and soul of the Bulldogs’ offense. After he came down on the foot of a Long Beach State player less than one minute into the game, the Bulldogs looked discombobulated for most of the remainder of the first half.
Weatherspoon spent the first half in the locker room getting treatment and the second half on the team’s bench in a cast.
After the game, Howland said Weatherspoon’s availability for MSU’s game against Arizona State on Monday in Las Vegas would be determined based on the swelling in the ankle.
Roughly an hour after the game, Nick Weatherspoon tweeted he would play Monday night.
“We struggled for a little while to get our identity back (after the injury),” MSU junior guard Lamar Peters. “We had to go harder in the second half because we couldn’t lose a game at home this early in the year.”
MSU (3-0) trailed 24-18 with 9 minutes, 33 seconds left in the first half. From there, the Bulldogs reeled off an 18-2 run to end the half.
“Defensively, we played much better,” Howland said. “We found our intensity. In the second half, the rebounding and the defense were excellent. Slow start, but we had some adversity early in the game. Credit to Long Beach State to coming out and playing hard early.
“In the second half, we were a much better basketball team.”
A 3-pointer by Carter sparked the half-ending run. The only negative statistic on Carter’s line was a 1-for-8 night from 3-point range. Overall, the Bulldogs 4-for-23 from 3-point range.
Howland said the team took “thousands of 3-point shots” during the summer. He also said Carter was taking too many deep 3-pointers and the plan going forward would include making sure he was closer to the line on his shots.
The Bulldogs held the 49ers (1-3) to four points in the final six minutes of the first half and first nine minutes of the second half combined.
Back-to-back baskets by Quinndary Weatherspoon and a jumper in the lane by Robert Woodard II pushed the lead to 46-32 with 14:32 remaining.
From there, the Bulldogs expanded the lead with a 52-34 advantage in rebounds.
Freshman Reggie Perry had a career-high 14 rebounds, including five on the offensive end.
“Fourteen boards for a freshman is quite amazing,” Howland said. “it shows the motor he has, really that all of our freshmen have.”
Quinndary Weatherspoon had 21 points, while Peters (16) and Aric Holman (10) also reached double figures. Woodard II, a former standout from Columbus High School, had five points, five rebounds, and two blocked shots in 23 minutes.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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