MSU men’s hoops continues unbeaten streak with win over Morehead State
STARKVILLE, Miss. (MSU Athletics) – Mississippi State was in a fight. The Bulldogs needed a spark.
MSU was leading Morehead State by just six points midway through the second half on Sunday. Bulldog forward Andersson Garcia had the basketball in his hands, looking to give his team some breathing room.
Garcia drove into the lane. A Morehead State defender shifted in front. That’s when Garcia gave an underhanded lob to teammate Javian Davis, who was also sprinting towards the rim.
Garcia’s pass was the gasoline. Davis lit the match. He grabbed the ball and completed a thunderous slam. The Hump erupted.
Davis’ jam was a key, momentum-shifting moment in an eventual 66-46 Mississippi State win. The victory moved the Bulldogs to a perfect 4-0 start for the year and underscored just how important Davis can be for MSU this season.
“It was fun,” Davis said of his dunk. “Having that feeling of getting to play basketball and having fun with my teammates and having a great play for my team and for the fanbase, it felt good.”
In the leadup to the season, Mississippi State players often mentioned Davis’ name when discussing teammates likely to have big roles in 2021-22. Sunday’s second half was Exhibit A.
MSU was seemingly stuck on a treadmill for the game’s first 20 minutes. State trailed for a large chunk of the first half before heading to the intermission up just 29-28.
Early in the second half, MSU stayed in the lead, but couldn’t quite pull away. With 10:37 to go, the Eagles shrank State’s lead to six. That’s when Garcia and Davis figuratively said, ‘Enough.’
Here’s how Garcia described the assist for Davis’ dunk that was the first blow in a 10-2 run that put the Bulldogs in complete control:
“In practice, we’ve been doing that a lot of times. We have a good connection to each other. I was looking for [Davis] when I drove to the basket. I found him wide open so he could dunk it. It was really exciting for me and for him too.”
While the Maroon and White faithful roared in approval, State head coach Ben Howland might’ve been as excited as anyone, not just for Davis’ slam though.
“I thought JD [Davis] did a lot of good things other than just the dunk,” Howland said. “I thought he did a good job defensively, plugging ball screens and hedging. And I thought Andy’s [Garcia’s] minutes were huge too. Those two guys, I recognized them [in the locker room], on the radio, and when talking to the media. Those guys were huge. They brought up the level of play when they came in the game. Not only did we not lose anything, we gained things.”
As for Davis, he finished with six points, three rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal. He totaled seven minutes of action, but make no mistake about it. It was a crucial seven minutes.
Yes, others played huge roles. The State backcourt continued to shine as Iverson Molinar led the team with 15 points to go along with seven rebounds and six more assists.
Fellow guard Shakeel Moore scored 13 and added five steals on the defensive end.
Additionally, D.J. Jeffries had his first double-double as a Bulldog with 13 points and 10 boards, while Garrison Brooks totaled 11 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Unquestionably though, Davis played as big a role as anyone. It was moment he’s had his eyes on since an offseason that was geared towards becoming a better Bulldog.
“I just put in the work,” Davis said. “I stayed true to myself and tried to find ways to get better each and every day.”
Davis’ teammates noticed his efforts then, and they’re certainly enjoying the fruits of his labor now.
“Man, that’s probably one of the most athletic guys that puts in the work,” Molinar said of Davis. “He’s in the gym 24/7. He’s in there twice a day, not including practice. Sometimes even after practice, he’s there too. He’s just put in a lot of work and it’s paying off. We’re really proud of him. He’s came a long way. He came in last year and it was a whole other system for him [transferring here] from Alabama. He came to us, got in the system and got used to it and it’s showing off this year. All that work is paying off.”
