STARKVILLE — Mississippi State had seemingly fixed its foul-shooting issues from the first half Saturday night, making 11 in a row to start the second half and give itself a chance.
But in the last two minutes and five seconds, the Bulldogs had six opportunities at the free throw line — two each for Tolu Smith, Cameron Matthews and Shakeel Moore — and missed them all. That was enough to sink MSU in an 82-74 loss to Alabama in front of a sold-out crowd at Humphrey Coliseum.
“Very frustrated,” Matthews said. “All the work we put in every day before and after practice shooting free throws and getting reps and just not seeing the ball go in, it’s frustrating. Just have to be better next time.”
The Bulldogs (12-4, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) made just 15 of 27 free throws overall including four of 10 in the first half, its worst performance of the season from the stripe. The Crimson Tide, meanwhile, were 22-for-26 at the line, a massive discrepancy in a game where 39 total fouls were called.
MSU played most of the first half without one of its best defenders as Matthews, who was tasked with guarding the SEC’s leading scorer in Mark Sears, picked up his second foul less than seven minutes into the game. The hosts held an early nine-point lead, but with Matthews on the bench, Alabama (11-5, 3-0) used a 9-0 run to tie the game, and Crimson Tide sixth man Latrell Wrightsell Jr. then scored eight straight points by himself to give the visitors the lead.
“I’ve talked to (Matthews) about it a lot and how valuable he is for our team,” Jans said. “It’s not because he’s not trying to play well and do right and help us win. His aggression sometimes needs to be a little more disciplined… because we’re better when he’s on the floor.”
Alabama led by two at the half, but Sears, who scored 17 of his 22 points after the break, had eight in a two-minute stretch to help the Crimson Tide go up by 10. The Bulldogs rallied back, thanks largely to Smith and freshman Josh Hubbard’s work at the free throw line, and ultimately retook a one-point lead with four and a half minutes to go on a bucket in the paint by Smith.
MSU’s transition defense, though, was an issue against an Alabama team that loves to play fast. The Bulldogs forced 13 turnovers and committed 12, but the Crimson Tide had an 18-6 edge in points off turnovers — as well as an 18-0 advantage in fastbreak points.
“The biggest strength we could have was not to turn the ball over, to try to not let them get in transition because they’re really hard to guard,” Jans said. “Taking average shots early in the clock, I thought we did a little bit of that as well, and we had really talked a lot about that, not trying to jump-start their transition game by putting ourselves in harm’s way that way. They’re good at what they do.”
Smith recorded his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but finished just 5-for-15 from the floor and 5-of-10 at the foul line. Hubbard added 14 points, Moore had 13 and Matthews chipped in with 12. MSU did well to get to the basket and draw fouls down the stretch, but the free throws stopped falling late.
The Bulldogs’ demanding stretch continues Wednesday with a visit to No. 6 Kentucky.
“We’ve got a core group of guys who understand that this league is unrelenting, it’s unforgiving,” Jans said. “Every game, there’s a lot riding on it. I know we’ll get back once we regroup and get through this feeling. That’s just the way it works in every conference, but especially in a conference like this.”
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