Mississippi State comes up short against #2 Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL - Close losses continue to be the theme of Mississippi State's SEC slate as they fell to #2 Alabama 66-63 Wednesday night.
Mississippi State had its strongest half of basketball during conference play going into the break with a 36-29 lead.
Tolu Smith was much more comfortable getting interior position than in the Bulldogs' previous matchup with the Tide. The 6'11" big man scored only five points on 1/7 shooting while going 3/15 from the free throw when the two teams matched up last month, but he was on his game early on, scoring ten first-half points while shooting 5/7 from the floor.
The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead and maintained it throughout the half. They dissected the Bama defense with their ball movement and held the Crimson Tide to 33% shooting in the first half. Most importantly, Mississippi State silenced the Alabama crowd every time they had a chance to gain some momentum.
St. Bonaventure transfer Dom Welch drained a three from the corner to break Alabama's early dry spell, but Cameron Matthews kept the Bulldogs' momentum rolling with an easy dunk. Nick Pringle went on a 5-point run with an and-1 and a dunk, but some buckets from Eric Reed and Shakeel Moore kept State ahead by double digits.
Alabama had cut the Mississippi State lead back down to five with a Jahvon Quinerly three and a pair of Mark Sears free throws, but Dashawn Davis quieted the crowd with State's first three of the ballgame.
It was Alabama who went into the half with momentum. Cameron Matthews committed a crucial charging foul with 12 seconds on the clock and allowed Nate Oats to draw up the perfect play for a Dom Welch corner three, and after freshmen Jaden Bradley and Noah Clowney opened the half with a pair of buckets, State's lead was cut to three.
State was right back in business with a 7-0 run highlighted by a Shakeel Moore three, but the Tide chopped into the lead as the Bulldogs got into foul trouble. Will McNair Jr. committed State's 7th foul at the 12:25 mark, and Alabama cut State's lead to 46-41 after Noah Clowney knocked down both free throws. McNair then fouled Brandon Miller on a three, and after he converted two, it became a one-possession game.
Rylan Griffin scored an easy bucket in the lane and knocked down a three to give Alabama its first lead at 48-46, but State reclaimed it quickly. Tyler Stevenson evened up with a dunk, and Dashawn Davis converted three free throws after he got fouled on a three-point attempt from the wing.
It was Miller again who got Bama back in it as he drained a three after two Quinerly free throws to put the Tide up two, and the Bulldogs were really in trouble with Alabama in the double-bonus.
Mississippi State softened up on defense and allowed two alley-oops to Clowney, and two more Quinerly free throws gave Alabama a 61-55 lead as the Bulldogs only made one basket during that stretch.
The two teams traded scores, and Cameron Matthews had cut the Alabama lead to 66-61 with a dunk at the 1:30 mark in the second half, and Tolu Smith cut it to three with a bucket down low with 48 seconds to go.
The Bulldog defense got the stop they needed as Mark Sears missed a three for the Tide, and they had 20 seconds on the clock to try to send it to overtime, but they couldn't get the shot they wanted. Shakeel Moore's three-point attempt was blocked, and Eric Reed had to throw up a last-second prayer that didn't come close.
Mississippi State falls to 1-8 in SEC play during Chris Jans' first season. They'll get a break from the SEC action Saturday in what will still be a major test as they'll welcome the #11 TCU Horned Frogs to The Hump for the SEC/Big 12 challenge.