Bulldogs Roll Past Alabama 81-62

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State men’s basketball controlled the pace Tuesday night enroute to a 81-62 win over Alabama at Humphrey Coliseum.

The Bulldogs improve to 17-7 (5-6 SEC), while Alabama falls to 15-9 (6-5 SEC).

With the Bulldogs holding a slight 8-7 lead early on, they went on a 7-0 run to take a 15-7 with 14:49 left in the first stanza.

A Lamar Peters 3-pointer at the 4:03 mark of the half increased the Bulldog lead to 14 at 34-20, which was tied for the largest lead of the half. The Bulldogs also held a 14-point lead at 41-27 with 1:08 to go. MSU went into the locker rooms holding a 43-30 lead after hitting five of their last seven field goals.

MSU led by as many as 16 points early in the second half, but Alabama trimmed the deficit to 62-53 with 8:28 remaining. However, the Crimson Tide turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions, allowing the Bulldogs to regain a double digit lead at 68-53.

Alabama cut it to 10 with 4:02 remaining, but State closed out the game 9-0 run en route to a 81-62 Southeastern Conference win.

Peters led the Bulldogs with a game-high 22 points, including 3-for-6 from three and knocking down all five free throw attempts. He also tallied three rebounds and three assists.

Joining Peters in double figures were Quinndary Weatherspoon with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, Reggie Perry with 14 points and a team-high 10 boards and Abdul Abdo with 10 points.

Perry has scored in double figures in five of his last six games. The Bulldogs are also 15-1 in the last two years when Weatherspoon scores 20 or more points.

MSU out-rebounded the Crimson Tide 35-26, including a 14-8 advantage in offensive rebounds. Defensively, MSU forced 18 turnovers and capitalized with 28 points off those turnovers.

The Bulldogs will now head to the road to face Arkansas at Bud Walton Arena on Saturday. Tip off is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT and will be televised by SEC Network.