Mississippi State Hops Past Kangaroos in Final Non Conference Tune-up

Photo Courtesy: Kelly Price, MSU Athletics

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI/MSU Athletics) – Mississippi State closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 77-54 win against Missouri-Kansas City Thursday night at Humphrey Coliseum.

MSU will enter the New Year and begin Southeastern Conference play with a 9-3 overall record. The Bulldogs won their third straight by shooting 50 percent from the floor and holding a plus-eight rebounding advantage. It is MSU’s first 9-3 start since the 2013-14 season.

“We have a great vibe right now,” MSU senior I.J. Ready said. “This is the best start since I’ve been here. We are going to take conference play one game at a time. We set the goal to go undefeated in non-conference play but we are still pleased at where we are. We have a lot of confidence right now.”

Quinndary Weatherspoon led the Bulldogs with 25 points, while Tyson Carter added 11. Schnider Herard had 8 rebounds, while Mario Kegler and Weatherspoon each had 7 boards. Ready had 5 assists, while Aric Holman had 3 blocked shots.

“It was our best defensive effort in a while,” MSU coach Ben Howland said. “We are getting better. Our individual defense, especially I.J. and Lamar, we made it hard for them to get open looks. We played good defense without fouling. We also won the battle of the boards.

“We had some really good performances. I.J. was steady. Q was spectacular. Tyson made a big shot to end the first half.”

The Bulldogs quickly built an 8-2 lead on a 3-pointer by Xavian Stapleton and never trailed in the contest. Weatherspoon capped an 8-0 run with a dunk as the Bulldogs built a 16-4 lead.

Another 3-pointer by Weatherspoon ran the lead to 22-9 with 10:23 left in the first half. Stapleton would later cap a 7-0 run with a dunk for a 29-13 lead.

UMKC closed within nine points before MSU ended the half with a 9-2 run for a 44-28 lead at halftime.

UMKC battled back to a 10-point deficit less than three minutes into the second half. A Tyson Carter dunk capped a 6-0 run as the Maroon and White ran the lead to 52-35 with 13:12 left.

Back-to-back treys by Kegler and Weatherspoon capped a 12-0 run as the Bulldogs built their largest lead at 66-39 with 7:15 left to play.

For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 29 of 58 shots from the field (50.0 percent), 11 of 23 shots from 3-point range (47.8 percent) and 8 of 18 shots from the foul line (44.4 percent). The Kangaroos hit 17 of 60 shots from the field (28.3 percent), 5 of 26 shots from 3-point range (19.2 percent) and 15 of 22 shots from the foul line (68.2 percent).

MSU held a 46-38 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 15 assists and 15 turnovers, while the Kangaroos had seven assists and 13 turnovers.

UMKC (7-8) received 15 points from Kyle Steward and 14 points from LaVell Boyd. Darnell Tillman had a team-high eight rebounds.

The Bulldogs remain home for their Southeastern Conference opener. MSU faces Alabama at 7:30 Tuesday night at Humphrey Coliseum. The contest will be televised nationally on the SEC Network.