Almost the entire United States has been enveloped in a cold snap this week, and in the first half of Mississippi State’s game Tuesday night at Tennessee, it was fair to wonder whether the sub-freezing temperatures had affected the Bulldogs.
No. 14 MSU made just six of 27 field goal attempts in the opening 20 minutes, and the Bulldogs’ 16 first-half points were by far their fewest in any half this season. The hole was far too big for MSU to climb out of as the No. 6 Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 68-56 in Knoxville.
“We were on the wrong side of the punching to start this game,” MSU head coach Chris Jans said. “They were ready to go. Their physicality off the ball bothered us. They’re very strong-minded guys and physically strong players, and we knew going in that a Rick Barnes-coached team in this league this year, the way it’s being officiated, it was going to be hard to pass and catch the ball.”
The Bulldogs (15-4, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) were not getting any open looks early in the game. Tennessee (17-2, 4-2) entered the game with the fourth-best scoring defense in the country and was also fourth in opponents’ field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. The Volunteers contested nearly every shot as MSU started 1-for-13, frequently settling for 3-pointers instead of forcing the ball inside and trying to get into the paint.
Jans noted in his postgame radio interview that the Bulldogs had just 14 paint touches in the first half, a season low. More than half of their shot attempts in the half were from behind the arc.
“We felt like we were standing around and watching each other,” Jans said. “Around the basket, they were being very physical. (KeShawn Murphy) got hit off balance quite a few times and was uncomfortable, I thought, for the first time all year around the basket. All the other teams we’ve played, I didn’t feel that way. But for whatever reason tonight, I didn’t feel like he got his legs underneath him.”
Tennessee’s leading scorer, graduate transfer guard Chaz Lanier, hit four 3-pointers in the first half to help the Volunteers build an 18-point lead at the break. But MSU came out hot to start the second half, with Claudell Harris hitting back-to-back 3-pointers as part of a 15-4 run that trimmed the Bulldogs’ deficit to seven at the 15-minute mark.
MSU was poised to draw even closer when another Harris 3-pointer went halfway through the net before popping back out. On the other end, Tennessee big man Felix Okpara — who had not attempted a 3-pointer all season — hit from deep just before the shot clock expired to push the Volunteers’ lead back to double digits, where it remained the rest of the game.
“In the second half, we ran offense much better, but it’s obviously a little bit easier when the score got the way it did,” Jans said. “They probably took their foot off the gas defensively.”
Josh Hubbard led the Bulldogs with 14 points, but it was another inefficient night for the sophomore, who was 5-for-16 from the floor. Riley Kugel and RJ Melendez were also in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Cameron Matthews had one of his roughest nights of the season, with just two points and five of MSU’s 11 turnovers.
The Bulldogs are at South Carolina on Saturday for their second meeting of the year against the Gamecocks. MSU won by 35 points at Humphrey Coliseum on Jan. 4, but every road game in the SEC is tough — last-place South Carolina took first-place Auburn to the wire in Columbia on Jan. 11.
“You can’t get off to a start like that on the road. It’s just hard,” Jans said. “Can you overcome it? Sure. But you’re going to have to play really, really well and they’re going to have to not play very well in order to do that.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 30 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 30 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
