TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The bad news continued for the Mississippi State men’s basketball team Wednesday.
A few days after suffering a 12-point loss in its Southeastern Conference opener to Auburn, the Bulldogs endured their second straight double-digit defeat, dropping a 90-69 contest to Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
If there’s somewhat of a silver lining for MSU, a good portion of its fanbase has been distracted by any and every football coaching search rumor to even notice the 0-2 start in SEC play. That doesn’t make the results count any less, though.
A team that started the season with NCAA tournament aspirations is quickly facing dire circumstances with a road matchup against conference heavyweight LSU looming and the Bulldogs’ NET and KenPom.com rankings continuing to fall.
Nevertheless, junior point guard Nick Weatherspoon preached patience after the blowout loss, referring to the Bulldogs starting 0-2 in SEC play last season, yet putting together an impressive run down the stretch.
“We’ve been here before,” Weatherspoon said. “A lot of these guys, we’ve been here before. All we can do is try to go and beat LSU Saturday and continue to get better.”
Both MSU’s offense and defense could use some of Weatherspoon’s suggested improvements. On the defensive end, MSU is allowing an average of 85 points in conference play. Offensively, the Bulldogs have yet to surpass the 40-percent shooting mark in an SEC contest.
“We’ve got to grow,” MSU coach Ben Howland said. “I think for a couple of our guys, it’s our first true (SEC) road game. For Iverson (Molinar) and D.J. (Stewart Jr.), who I thought both got pretty significant minutes, they got their opportunities that are going to continue to come to them. We’ll be better next time.”
With Alabama’s win, that marked the seventh straight time in the series the home team has earned the victory. It was also the first conference win for first-year Alabama coach Nate Oats.
“I thought our defensive effort in the second half was as good as it has been all year,” Oats said.
The Crimson Tide’s John Petty Jr. and Kira Lewis Jr. wore MSU on the defensive end, as the dynamic guard duo scored 18 and 17 points, respectively. James Bolden (11 points), Galin Smith (11) and Jaden Shackleford (10) were the other Alabama players in double figures.
“I give them credit, Lewis and Petty were terrific, as they have been all year long,” Howland said. “They run a style where Lewis is really able to penetrate and create so much by his quickness and speed. It makes it very difficult because they spread you out so wide.”
At the halftime, Alabama found itself ahead 42-34. The Crimson Tide shot 45.5 percent from the floor and held MSU to 38.2 percent in the half.
Shortly out of the break, the Crimson Tide opened a 15-point lead after Petty Jr. juked preseason All-SEC first team selection Reggie Perry out of his socks on the perimeter with a stepback 3-pointer. That put MSU in a gigantic hole, facing a 51-36 deficit.
“He’s capable of making tough shots,” Oats said of Petty Jr. “What may be bad shots for other guys may not be so bad for him.”
The Bulldogs trimmed the deficit to six points with 12 minutes remaining, but Perry picked up his fourth foul of the game, halting their momentum. After sitting for a brief period, Perry fouled out with 6:56 remaining with his team down 12 points. He finished with 14 points and five rebounds. Alabama ran away with the contest after that.
Weatherspoon led MSU with a team-high 20 points, while Robert Woodard II chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds. The Bulldogs shot 37.7 percent from the floor and allowed the Crimson Tide to shoot 49.1 percent.
“We need to figure it out on transition defense,” Woodard II said. “We’ve been giving up too many open 3s. It’s just about getting tough out there.”
MSU is back in action at 7 p.m. Saturday in a road matchup against LSU.
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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