STARKVILLE – Mississippi State lost its seventh game of the season on Tuesday, falling at home in primetime against No. 18 Alabama. What started out as a promising night for MSU quickly spiralled as the Tide offense kicked into gear. The visitors led by as much as 22 at their height in the second half, doing so despite missing five players for the contest.
LaBaron Philon Jr. led the Tide with 32 points on 10-14 shooting, and Aiden Sherrell added another 22 in a dominant performance down low.
The Bulldogs hit their stride in the middle of the first half, piling on the points and taking a 29-15 lead with eight minutes to play before the break. A media timeout stopped the run, and when the teams returned, there was a swift swing in momentum. The Tide went on a 21-5 run over the remaining minutes of the first half, erasing the deficit and taking a 36-34 lead into halftime.
It was a slow night after a quick start for Josh Hubbard, who finished the half with five points on 1-7 shooting, and Jayden Epps wasn’t faring much better for his volume, hitting 3-11 from the field for seven.
The strong run continued into the second half, with the Tide quickly jumping out to a 49-36 lead after just a couple of minutes. The lead continued to balloon, and the Bulldogs lost Brandon Walker for a Flagrant Two foul ejection to add to the humiliation.
Hubbard went on a run around the middle of the second half to get the deficit back down to 10 points, but the beatdown promptly resumed and fans were heading for the exits in droves with nine minutes left in the game.
The night went from bad to worse as the clock ticked down, with Jayden Epps suffering a lower leg injury and being withdrawn from action.
The Bulldogs will return to action at home against Ole Miss on Saturday.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
