Reggie Perry thought he just converted the game-winning basket to seal an upset road victory Saturday.
LSU’s Skylar Mays had different plans.
After Perry’s go-ahead layup with 4 seconds remaining to give Mississippi State a one-point lead, Mays sprinted down the court and drilled a long two-pointer with Nick Weatherspoon’s hand in his face as time expired. The clutch shot sunk the Bulldogs’ upset hopes and gave them their third straight loss, falling 60-59 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
For the first time since the 2015-2016 season, the Mississippi State men’s basketball team has started 0-3 in Southeastern Conference play.
After dropping double-digit contests to Auburn and Alabama to start SEC play, the Bulldogs were competitive throughout most of the night against the Tigers but ultimately fell in a heartbreaker despite holding LSU to 2-of-21 shooting from 3-point range.
Nevertheless, the Bulldogs committed 18 turnovers and went cold offensively down the stretch.
In a losing effort, Perry picked up his eighth double-double of the season with 13 points and 15 rebounds. Weatherspoon chipped in 14 points and five assists in the loss.
Meanwhile, despite only scoring four points, MSU senior Tyson Carter tied his father, Greg Carter, on the MSU all-time scoring list with 1,123 career points. The elder Carter, who now coaches the Starkville High boys basketball team, played for MSU from 1987 to 1991.
At halftime, LSU led MSU 30-22 despite shooting 1 of 13 from beyond the arc. The Tigers scored 11 points off 11 Bulldog turnovers in the period.
Out of the break, MSU came roaring back with a 10-0 run finished off with a thunderous dunk from Weatherspoon that gave his team a 36-35 lead.
After a back-and-forth affair, the Bulldogs went on another big run (12-0) to put themselves ahead 53-44 with 5:09 remaining. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they only converted one field goal for the remainder of the contest.
The Tigers put together a 7-0 run to reduce the MSU lead to 53-51 with 3:09 left then eventually took the lead with 58 seconds left after converting just their second 3-pointer of the night.
On the next MSU possession, Weatherspoon converted two free throws to tie the game at 57 points apiece.
LSU’s Javonte Smart went 1 of 2 from the free throw line to put the home team ahead with 43 seconds left. A missed jumper, an offensive rebound and an LSU foul put Weatherspoon at the charity stripe with eight seconds left down one, but the junior point guard missed both free throws. On the second miss, the ball bounced off an LSU player, giving the Bulldogs a final offensive chance. That set the stage for Perry, who caught the inbounds pass and drove to the rim for the go-ahead basket. It would have been the game-winner if not for Mays’ heroics.
Mays finished with 11 points, while Emmitt Williams had a game-high 17 points. LSU (11-4, 3-0 SEC) shot 37.3 percent from the floor and held MSU to 33 percent.
MSU (9-6, 0-3) is back in action at 8 p.m. Tuesday against Missouri at Humphrey Coliseum.
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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