STARKVILLE — Tolu Smith said the first few days after his injury were the hardest.
Mississippi State’s star post player had spent nearly three months working his way back from an injured foot, which he sustained in a preseason practice in early October. The Bulldogs managed to go 10-2 in his absence, but with Smith back in the fold Sunday against Bethune-Cookman, MSU is at full strength for the first time all year just in time for Southeastern Conference play.
Smith showed no ill effects — he made all five of his field goal attempts and went 6-for-7 from the free throw line, finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds in 19 minutes of action as the Bulldogs eased to an 85-62 victory over the Wildcats to wrap up the non-conference portion of their schedule.
“I cried, cried and cried again, wondering, ‘Why me?’” Smith said. “I had a great coaching staff and great team to tell me that it was okay and everything was going to be fine, and now I’m here. Life moves fast and I’m sitting here playing basketball again. I’m blessed and highly favored, and I’m excited for our team.”
After starting in 84 of his 85 games with MSU (11-2) over the last three seasons, Smith came off the bench Sunday, checking in four and a half minutes into the game to a nice ovation from the New Year’s Eve crowd of more than 7,000 at Humphrey Coliseum. He made his first basket less than a minute later and pulled down his first board 30 seconds after that, then delivered a highlight-reel play late in the first half.
With the Bulldogs leading by 12, Smith backed down Bethune-Cookman’s Yousouf Timera near the baseline, got past Timera with a spin move, then made a reverse layup as Timera, now trailing the play, fouled him. The acrobatic basket was part of a 9-0 run to extend the MSU lead to 19 at the half, and six of those points belonged to Smith.
Head coach Chris Jans said there was no minutes restriction on Smith, who also blocked a shot and drew seven fouls while committing just one.
“We were all excited for him today. Certainly didn’t know how he would play, but he got off to a great start,” Jans said. “(His teammates) knew to throw him the ball when he was open. They made a concerted effort to get him the ball. As the game progressed, they started giving him a little more attention and he made some decent passes out of the double (teams). I’m just happy for him and his family. It’s been a long road.”
Smith will likely see the lion’s share of playing time at the center position in SEC play, but Jans said he was not worried about how that will affect Jimmy Bell Jr., who has started every game after transferring in from West Virginia. Bell officially did not attempt a field goal Sunday, but finished 6-for-8 from the foul line and pulled down seven rebounds.
Trey Fort also returned for the Bulldogs after missing the last two games, playing 16 minutes and knocking down three of six shots from 3-point range. He helped MSU finish 12-for-27 from distance, the Bulldogs’ second-best showing of the season. Fort could be especially valuable with the continued absence of Andrew Taylor, who Jans said is not with the team due to a personal matter.
“He practiced very well since he returned from Christmas,” Jans said. “He’s had more focus. He’s tried to defend and play the way we want him to play and not necessarily the way he thinks he should play. He’s certainly got a lot of ability; you can see that on the court. Especially when he can just jump up there and knock (shots) down, that’s a big shot in the arm for us and it gives us more spacing on the court.”
MSU’s defense did not allow the Wildcats (5-8) back into the game, a positive sign after late collapses earlier this month against Southern and Murray State. Cameron Matthews was the leader on that end with a career-high six steals, and freshman Josh Hubbard’s three steals were also a new personal best.
The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday for their SEC opener at South Carolina for a game that will be televised nationally on CBS. The Gamecocks finished 12-1 in non-conference play with their only loss coming on the road against in-state rival Clemson.
“A game like this helped me get my rhythm, my flow back,” Smith said. “Just me being able to play with the team, actually being on the court with them, it feels great.”
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