Mississippi State Notches Close Win Over Florida State, 62-55

Dawg Facts: Wins against FSU in Basketball this Season? Florida: 0  MSU: 1

In a surprising performance by Mississippi State, the Bulldogs upset Florida State(-2) to finish the non conference schedule with a record of 7-6. This was a nice win for the Bulldogs as it snaps the Noles' winning streak and gives MSU a win over a Power 5 team for the first time since March. Mississippi State capped the final minute of play with 7 straight made free throws and the clutch shooting would be the difference as MSU won the game, 62-55.

As expected MSU struggled from behind the arc, shooting for just 14%, but a poor shooting performance by FSU and a 92% success rate from the free throw line propelled the Bulldogs to victory. With the poor defensive performance by Mississippi State as of late it was nice to see the team hold Florida State to 44% shooting.

The difference in the game came down to the aforementioned free throw shooting performance and Mississippi State's ability to capitalize off the Noles' turnovers. The Bulldogs had ten steals and forced a total of nineteen Florida State turnovers which in turn led to 22 points for MSU.

As has been the case over the past couple of weeks this game featured another lineup change by Coach Rick Ray. This lineup led to solid performances by starters Travis Daniels and I.J. Ready. The duo combined for a total of 26 points and 5 of the team's steals. Coming off the bench, Roquez Johnson and Gavin Ware also gave solid performances, combining for 17 points and 14 rebounds.

Can the Bulldogs build off this win? Mississippi State fans will soon find out. After hosting Tennessee next Wednesday, the Bulldogs go on the road for back to back games against two of the SEC's best teams in Florida and Texas A&M.

Mississippi State fans can now turn their attention to SEC play as the Bulldogs host the Tennessee Volunteers (8-4) next Wednesday at 8 PM CST.