Mississippi State Takes Down LSU with Team Effort, 73-67

"Our Guys Still Want Results"- Rick Ray

Finish. Finally, after two games in which the Bulldogs failed to seal the deal, MSU found a way to finish an opponent. The 73-67 win over LSU is easily the biggest win of the season and could be a sign that the Bulldogs have truly turned a corner under Coach Rick Ray.

The Bulldogs have often played panicked this season when trailing in a ballgame but not today. MSU didn't panic when LSU opened up the second half with a quick run and they didn't panic when they fell behind late in the second half against LSU. Instead the Bulldogs made 13 of their final 14 free throw attempts and defensively held the Tigers below their season average in both points and field goal percentage. Mississippi State fans finally have a reason to be proud of their basketball team, not because of the number of wins but because of the determination of this squad to never give up.

Fred Thomas shook off a rough performance against Ole Miss to score a team high 18 points against LSU. Thomas hit on all seven of his free throw attempts and was one of four Bulldogs in double figures in this game. Quiet early, Roquez Johnson nearly brought the roof off The Hump with two emphatic dunks in the closing moments that would put the Bulldogs in front of the Tigers for good.

After falling behind 57-54, there were no signs of panic on the faces of the Bulldog players, instead it seemed as if the defecit only motivated Mississippi State.The Bulldogs finished the final four minutes of the game with a 19-10 run to win by six. With Johnson, Sword, Ready and Thomas all hitting their stride in recent weeks, Mississippi State is going to continue causing havoc for their SEC opponents going forward.

The win improves MSU's record to 10-11 and moves the Bulldogs into 10th place in the SEC. LSU falls to 16-5 on the season and slips into a six way tie for 3rd place in the SEC. #HailState

What's Next?: MSU @ Tennessee. Feb 3rd, 6 PM CST