STARKVILLE – With the game already decided, Mississippi State point guard I.J. Ready saw an opening for an easy basket. Knifing through the middle of Arkansas State’s defense, the sophomore point guard was uncontested as he drove through the lane to attempt a last-second layup. He then watched helplessly as the ball rolled off the front of the rim.
It was that kind of night for MSU’s basketball team.
Mere seconds after Ready’s miss, the final horn sounded on MSU’s 69-55 home lost to Arkansas State, a defeat that coach Rick Ray called “As disappointing a loss as we’ve had since we’ve been here.”
Now, the Bulldogs face the task of bouncing back.
To do that, they’ll have to win away from the Humphrey Coliseum for just the second time all season. On Saturday, MSU will head to the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, where it will host South Carolina-Upstate. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.
For Ray and the Bulldogs, Saturday’s game presents an opportunity to rebound following Wednesday night’s embarrassment and put an end to a four-game losing streak.
“That’s the important thing for us,” said Ray, whose team fell to 5-4 on the season. “We had an opportunity to come into The Hump after being on the road and stop the bleeding. It didn’t happen. Now we have to figure out a way to do it in Jackson.”
As mid-major non-conference opponents go, Upstate might not be the best team to draw when looking to stem the tide of a four-game losing skid. At 8-4, the Spartans have acquitted themselves well against high-major programs. Upstate is 0-4 against major conference teams but have been close each time, losing by seven at UCF, 10 at Maryland, five at Georgia tech and 10 at Memphis.
MSU, meanwhile, lost to an Arkansas State team that had previously only beaten Belhaven and 0-8 Central Arkansas. During MSU’s four-game slide, the Bulldogs’ offense has been the problem, as MSU hasn’t scored more than 55 points and is averaging 52 points per game during that stretch, prompting Arkansas State coach John Brady to say, “Let’s be honest, they’re not a real good shooting team,” of the Bulldogs following Wednesday night’s game.”
The Bulldogs connected on just 32 percent of their shots against the Red Wolves and made just 3 of 17 three-point attempts. Further, MSU has struggled getting started in recent weeks. In a 59-49 loss at Oregon State last Saturday, the Bulldogs fell behind 16-2 to start the game. On Wednesday night, Arkansas State opened the game with a 12-4 run before MSU finally responded.
“I can’t give an exact reason for why we got off to such a poor start,” said Ray. “I’ve got to make sure it doesn’t happen again, at the end of the day.”
One player who isn’t struggling to find a rhythm early is senior forward Roquez Johnson, who led the Bulldogs with 20 points in the loss to the Red Wolves. Johnson connected on eight of his 11 shots and was the only Bulldog in double figures in scoring. Johnson, who has started seven of MSU’s nine games, shares the team lead in scoring with Fred Thomas. Both players averaged 12 points per game, and Johnson was asked how the Bulldogs responded in the locker room following Wednesday night’s defeat.
“It was real emotional, guys were sad,” said Johnson. “They want it, I want it. We all want it really bad but we’re not doing the right things to win.”
Follow Dispatch Sports Writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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