STARKVILLE — Shakeel Moore’s 3-pointer from the right wing nestled itself between the rim and the backboard, getting stuck with surprising force between the two.
The Mississippi State guard’s “wedgie” was one of six straight misses by the Bulldogs in the second half Saturday against Ole Miss, including five from behind the arc. At one point, MSU had made just one of its 10 triples and was sitting at 26.2 percent from the field. The visiting Rebels had opened up their biggest lead — seven points — at Humphrey Coliseum on a Bulldogs team not far from losing a fourth straight game.
“Our backs were against the wall,” Mississippi State coach Chris Jans said. “We had to win, plain and simple.”
Maybe the law of averages kicked in. Maybe the Bulldogs chose that moment to put their offensive inertia in the dust. But whatever it was, Mississippi State played like a team possessed for the next several minutes.
MSU (12-3, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) made its next six shots, including 3-pointers from Moore and Eric Reed Jr., catapulting itself into the lead for good in a 64-54 win over Ole Miss (8-7, 0-3 SEC) in Starkville.
The Bulldogs picked up their first SEC victory at a critical time after losing their first two conference games to No. 7 Alabama and No. 8 Tennessee.
“I’m excited we’re in the win column, honestly,” big man Tolu Smith said. “We had that little stretch right there, so it just feels good to win.”
Mississippi State outscored Ole Miss 33-16 from the 12:43 mark until the end of the game, kicking its often rusty offense into gear and sustaining the production.
So dominant were the Bulldogs down the stretch that they led by as many as 13 points on a dunk by redshirt freshman KeShawn Murphy with 1:22 to play.
Only two Bulldogs finished in double figures: big men Will McNair Jr. (13) and Smith (12). McNair, a transfer from New Mexico State, set a season-high mark in points in his first year with the Bulldogs. He played 25 minutes as Smith battled foul trouble.
“I was just excited to see Will do what he knows he can do and just come in and step up for me,” Smith said.
Matthew Murrell led Ole Miss with 19 points, 15 of which came in the second half.
Like the Bulldogs, the Rebels picked up their game after halftime, but it wasn’t enough to make a difference.
A stepback 3 by Murrell over McNair answered a triple from Moore that briefly gave Mississippi State a 39-38 lead, but MSU scored the next eight points and never trailed again.
Three-pointers from Dashawn Davis, who was fouled on the play, and Reed pushed the lead into double digits.
Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis credited Mississippi State for its strong play down the stretch, saying the Bulldogs were the more physical team when it counted.
“It hurts my soul to say it, but they just absolutely out-toughed us the last 12 minutes,” Davis said.
It wasn’t the case for the other 28 minutes. Mississippi State led by as many as eight points in the first half, but a layup by Murrell at the halftime buzzer cut the Bulldogs’ advantage to three at the break.
Ole Miss capitalized from there. A jumper from Murrell tied the game less than two minutes into the second half, and an 11-1 Rebels run followed to give Ole Miss its biggest cushion.
But MSU came roaring back to take the victory in an important contest.
“In my mind, it was a must-win,” Jans said. “We had to have it.”
The Bulldogs will hope to carry their momentum into road games at Georgia on Wednesday and Auburn on Saturday, while Ole Miss will look for its first conference win against Auburn on Tuesday in Oxford.
Smith hits 1,000-point mark
Smith reached 1,000 career points during the second half of Saturday’s game.
“That’s a great milestone for Tolu,” Jans said. “I’m extremely happy for him.”
The redshirt senior scored in double figures for the first time in four games after scoring 10 or more points in 10 of the Bulldogs’ first 11 contests.
Smith is in his fourth season with the Bulldogs — his third on the court — after transferring from Western Kentucky. He was a first-team all-SEC preseason selection.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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