An otherwise grueling four-game Southeastern Conference road slate ended on a positive note for Mississippi State Saturday.
After dropping the first three road contests to Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas, the Bulldogs salvaged the finale of their long road trip, taking down South Carolina 75-59 in Columbia, S.C.
“Our backs were against the wall,” MSU forward D.J. Stewart said. “We were hitting rock bottom, so the only way we could go is up.”
Some big picture questions remain, sure. One game after committing a season-high 26 turnovers, MSU (11-9, 5-6 SEC) was still sloppy with the ball, committing 21 giveaways. But Stewart made the turnovers moot, setting a new SEC-career high with 29 points on a 10 of 17 shooting performance that included four 3-pointers. Stewart was three points shy of matching his career high, which he notched in a 32-point effort against Dayton earlier this season. MSU also suffocated South Carolina’s offense the entire night, limiting the Gamecocks to 31.1 percent shooting from the floor and a whopping 5-of-25 beyond the arc while winning the rebounding battle 46-30.
“D.J. was phenomenal today,” MSU coach Ben Howland said. “You never want to take him for granted.”
After having to pause all basketball activities three times this season because of COVID-19 safety protocols, South Carolina (5-7, 3-5) had finally got some consistency going, playing six straight contests without interruption. Nevertheless, the Gamecocks have played eight less games than MSU.
After opening a 12-point lead in the closing minutes of the first half, MSU allowed the Gamecocks to close the half on a 6-0 run en route to taking a 36-30 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs held South Carolina to 29 percent shooting in the period, but turned the ball over 13 times.
Midway through the second half, the Bulldogs took firm control with a 14-0 run that extended their lead to 64-49. The MSU defense held South Carolina scoreless for a stretch that lasted about 6 minutes.
“Our defense has been very consistent over the last five games. We’re playing as good of defense as we’ve played since I’ve been the coach at Mississippi State,” Howland said.
Iverson Molinar was the other Bulldog in double figures, scoring 16 points on a 5 of 11 shooting effort. For the second straight contest, freshman forward Derek Fountain found himself playing an extended stretch of meaningful minutes. Fountain had a career-high nine points on four shots in 29 minutes of action.
“I’m just thankful coach gave me an opportunity,” Fountain said. “I’m trying to take advantage of it.”
MSU is back in action at 8 p.m. against LSU at Humphrey Coliseum.
DAWG NOTES: A small skirmish between both team’s benches broke out pregame, but MSU freshman Keondre Montgomery was charged with a technical foul for throwing a basketball at a South Carolina player. “What happened was, we were getting ready to come over to the bench, and one of their players walked into the huddle of our players,” Howland explained postgame. “Our freshman made a critical error by throwing the ball at him, which was not smart and not something we condone.”
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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