No. 22 Mississippi State Rallies Past No. 16 Auburn

STARKVILLE, Miss. — No. 22 Mississippi State men’s basketball rallied past No. 16 Auburn 92-84 Saturday night at Humphrey Coliseum.

The Bulldogs improve to 15-4 (3-3 SEC), while Auburn falls to 13-6 (2-4 SEC).

The squads traded baskets until State jumped out to a 25-14 lead with 9:45 left in the first half.

The Tigers then went on a 6-0 run that pulled them within three at 38-35.

State made 10 3-pointers on 45.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc in the first half. Lamar Peters led all scorers with 12 points in the first half with four three pointers. MSU held a 47-45 lead at halftime of the game.

The second half began with Auburn coming out on a 10-1 run to take a 55-48 lead but the Bulldogs were able to go on a run of their own when they scored 10 unanswered points to get the momentum back with a 58-55 lead.

The game would remain close with the Tigers refusing to go away. The game was tied u 70-70 with 8:11 remaining in the ballgame before State finally rallied to pull away. The Bulldogs connected on eight consecutive field goals to go on a 20-5 run to build a 90-75 lead before claiming the 92-84 Southeastern Conference win.

The Bulldog defense forced 19 turnovers with 16 points off those turnovers.

Quinndary Weatherspoon had a game-high 27 points to go along with three assists and four rebounds. He made all 11 of his free throws and went 4-of-5 beyond the arc.

Peters contributed with 16 points and a season-high 10 assists. Nick Weatherspoon finished the night with 12 points, three assists, three steals and three rebounds. Reggie Perry had a team-high 11 boards to go with 10 points.

Mississippi State distributed 20 assists on 28 field goals. Both teams grabbed 29 rebounds, but the Bulldogs were able to grab 10 of the game’s 16 offensive rebounds.

The Bulldogs will now travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to face SEC foe Alabama Tuesday night at Coleman Coliseum. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. CT and will be televised by the SEC Network.