STARKVILLE — It took the Mississippi State men’s basketball team until midway through the second half Saturday night to make its run against Florida at Humphrey Coliseum.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the Gators were prepared to make a run of their own.
After back-to-back 3s by MSU tied the game at 40-40, Florida (11-8, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) made eight of its next 10 shots, pulling away from Mississippi State down the stretch in a 61-59 win in Starkville.
The fourth straight loss for the Bulldogs (12-7) dropped them to a paltry 1-6 in SEC play.
With a trip to No. 4 Alabama and a home game against No. 14 TCU looming next week, MSU missed out on an excellent chance to bank an SEC victory at home.
“You work too hard to be getting this close every game,” Mississippi State forward Cameron Matthews said. “We know these are teams we can beat.”
Instead, the Bulldogs are staring down a 1-7 start to their conference schedule as early-season momentum from their 11-0 start has quickly dissipated.
Mississippi State faltered on offense again, shooting mediocre percentages from the field (39.3 percent), from 3 (23.5 percent) and from the free throw line (63.6 percent). And Florida was willing to take advantage.
Although MSU erased a 16-point deficit, the Gators pushed their lead back to double digits, and the cushion stood.
Barely.
The Bulldogs had two final-minute possessions with a chance to tie the game or take the lead, but they failed each time.
Cameron Matthews fired a pass into the stands with 44.2 seconds, and he and D.J. Jeffries each missed contested close-range shots in the game’s final moments. Florida’s Colin Castleton swatted the basketball away after Matthews’ miss, and time expired on the game.
“I just saw the ball tipped and I tried to go get it and put it in,” Matthews said.
It was one of few MSU games this season that came down to the final possession, and given the Bulldogs’ comeback, it was a heartbreaker as well.
MSU closed the first half on a 7-0 run to get within single digits at halftime after Florida held its largest lead of the game at 33-17.
The Bulldogs didn’t make a single 3-pointer in the half and shot just 34.4 percent from the field. Florida opened up an 11-3 run before the first media timeout, and it ultimately proved too big an obstacle to overcome.
“I told them I felt like we lost the game in the first 10 minutes of the game, in hindsight,” MSU coach Chris Jans said.
Still, MSU rallied. Freshman Shawn Jones Jr. hit the Bulldogs’ first 3 with 12:41 to play, and Dashawn Davis followed with another triple 41 seconds later to tie the game.
But Florida’s Kowacie Reeves immediately answered with a 3 of his own, just one of several occasions on which the Gators quickly quashed MSU’s momentum.
Tolu Smith slammed home a dunk to retie the game at 45-all with 9:14 left, but Florida took the lead on a Jason Jitoboh jumper and never trailed.
Another 3 by Reeves made it a 10-point game with 4:02 left, and Mississippi State nearly had enough to come back.
Matthews dunked, Will McNair Jr. — on the court in the closing minutes in place of Smith — hit a jumper, and Shakeel Moore made a pair of free throws before a 3 from Davis cut the lead to two.
But the Bulldogs came up short on their final chances, and it cost them dearly.
Mississippi State will travel to Tuscaloosa for an 8 p.m. Wednesday tip against the Crimson Tide.
It’ll be a tough task, but with where the Bulldogs stand, emerging with a victory is critical.
“At this point, I think every game is a must-win,” Jans said. “Every game’s the Super Bowl for us.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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