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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Mississippi State men’s basketball team was outscored 23-11 in the final 7:45, turning a seven-point lead into a five-point loss in Wednesday’s 80-75 loss to No. 25 Alabama at Coleman Coliseum.
With the loss, the Bulldogs have now dropped four consecutive games and sit at 14-11 (5-7 SEC), while the Crimson Tide improves to 17-9 (7-6 SEC).
Junior guard Iverson Molinar led the Bulldogs with 22 points and four assists, while junior forward D.J. Jeffries and freshman guard Cam Carter each scored 15 points. As a team, MSU shot 26-for-72 (36.1%) and 6-for-21 on 3-pointers. The Bulldogs made 17 of 19 (89.5%) from the free-throw line.
Alabama had four players reach double figures and were led by junior guard Jahvon Quinerly with 21 points and eight assists. Freshman center Charles Bediako scored a career-high 15 points to go with six blocked shots, while sophomore forward Darius Miles and junior guard Jaden Shackelford scored 12 points apiece.
Alabama shot 28-for-63 (44.4%) and the Bulldogs held the Crimson Tide to 6-for-30 (20%) on 3s. Alabama owned a 48-36 advantage in rebounds and outscored MSU 44-30 in the paint,
In the first half, Jeffries made a jumper and graduate forward Garrison Brooks made a pair of free throws to tie the game at 16-16 with 10:18 left. The Crimson Tide then went on a 10-2 run to take a 26-18 lead with 7:54 to play in the half.
The teams went into the halftime break with Alabama leading 34-30.
In the second half, MSU went on an 11-4 run to tie the game at 47-47 with 15:08 left to play. The Bulldogs then went on 12-2 run to take a 64-57 lead with 7:45 left. The Crimson Tide responded with an 18-2 run over the next 6:48 to regain the lead at 75-66 with 57 seconds to play.
Molinar made a layup to cut the deficit to three before Miles iced the game with a pair of free throws.
The Bulldogs will return home to host Missouri on Friday at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+. They will then travel to Missouri on Sunday for a 7 p.m. game on SEC Network.