OXFORD — Mississippi State had no answer for Stefan Moody.

Whether it was guarding the 3-point line or keeping him out of the lane when he put the ball on the floor and dribbled, MSU could not keep him from putting points on the board.

The Ole Miss guard scored a career-high 43 points and the Bulldogs lost 86-78 to the Rebels Wednesday night in the Pavilion to split the season series.

“What a storybook ending for Moody,” MSU coach Ben Howland said. “Moody was absolutely fantastic. I thought that we had no answer for him right from the beginning and give him credit, we were really trying hard. We tried hard defensively (Wednesday), but had no answer for him.”

In an 83-77 Bulldog win Jan. 23, Moody did not play because of a hamstring injury and the Bulldogs took advantage outscoring the Rebels 47-39 in the second half to overcome a 38-36 halftime deficit.

In his final home game at Ole Miss, Moody was 11-of-24 from the field and 15-of-18 from the free throw line. Even with hands in his face, Moody was able to knock down 3-point shots. He was 6-of-12 from 3-point range and after missing his first 3-point shot he made the next three to put the Rebels ahead 14-8 with 15 minutes, 9 seconds remaining in the opening half. He crossed over Craig Sword (10 points) and stepped back to knock down a long 3-point shot during that stretch.

“He was in great rhythm early and really, really led us with his energy,” Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said.

He became the first Southeastern Conference player to score 40-plus points against a league foe this season and his 43 points are the third most in an SEC game in the past 20 seasons. Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks scored 54 and 45 points against Tennessee and Arkansas, respectively in 2009.

Moody, who scored 24 in the first half, said he wasn’t aware of how many points he had scored as the game went on, but felt like he was in the zone.

“I kind of just play,” Moody said. “I figure it out when I figure it out. It’s not really something I think about. I just get it up when I can.

“All my fans wanted that win and I personally wanted that win to go out on a high note. It means a lot, it’s real special and it’s something I’ll probably remember the rest of my life.”

In three-career games against MSU, Moody has scored 86 points, including a season-high 29 last season in a win in Starkville.

With the Rebels (19-11, 9-8 SEC) leading 23-22 with 8:21 remaining in the first half, they finished the first 20 minutes on a 21-10 run to take a 44-32 lead at halftime.

The Bulldogs (13-16, 6-11) had played better defense in February after struggling in January after going back and forth between a zone defense and a man-to-man defense. It’s the most points the Bulldogs have given up since LSU scored 88 in a Bulldog loss Feb. 6.

Bulldog freshman guard Quinndary Weatherspoon, who scored 15 points, felt like there was nothing they could have done that was going to disrupt or stop Moody.

“He’s a very good player and he’s shooting it from like 32 feet and there’s nothing you can do about it when he’s shooting it that far,” Weatherspoon said. “Once he gets it out there and he’s shooting it from that far, you try to come out on him and he just goes by.”

Moody wasn’t the only Howell Trophy finalist to have a career night. Bulldog senior center Gavin Ware tied his career high with 28 points. He scored 15 points in the first half.

Kennedy said Ole Miss’ 1-3-1 zone and 2-2-1 zone was bothering the Bulldog guards, but it opened up Ware underneath, even saying Ware became invisible to his players at times. Ware took advantage.

“When they go past half-court, I was just seeking open positions and trying to find the ball and score,” Ware said. “I was just being a trash man, getting offensive rebounds and going back up strong.”

Weatherspoon felt like they could have fed Ware more and he admitted there were a couple of times he missed the 6-foot-9 center or didn’t have the right angle to feed him.

The Bulldogs outscored the Rebels 46-42 in the second half and tried to make things interesting in the final four minutes. Trailing 70-58, MSU ended the game 20-16 run and cut the lead to six with 12 seconds remaining, but the Rebels got a layup from Anthony Perez (10 points) to seal the victory. Sebastian Saiz also scored 10 points for the Rebels.

Howland said in retrospect they probably should have gone to a box-and-one or put two guys on Moody, but he credited Moody for knocking down contested shots.

“He was incredible,” Howland said. “Give that guy all the credit in the world, he is a great player and he’s obviously cemented himself in my first team All-SEC voting.”

Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait

Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.