Ole Miss Wins in Starkville, Sweeps MSU for First Time Since 1998

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI/AP) — Stefan Moody scored 29 points, including 24 of those on eight 3-pointers, to lead Mississippi over Mississippi State 71-65 on Thursday night.

(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Ole Miss (18-8, 9-4 Southeastern Conference) won for just the second time in 17 years at Humphrey Coliseum and swept the season series against its in-state rival for the first time since 1998.

Moody had his most impressive stretch during an 82-second run late in the second half. The 5-foot-9 junior hit three straight 3-pointers from essentially the same spot on the floor, giving the Rebels some offense when the Bulldogs were trying to make a run.Mississippi State (12-14, 5-8) could never recover.

Craig Sword led the Bulldogs with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Gavin Ware scored 13 and Travis Daniels added 12.

Mississippi State dominated throughout much of the first half, leading by 10 at one point before settling for a 32-27 halftime advantage.

Travis Daniels led the Bulldogs with 10 points in the opening half, including a vicious one-handed jam over M.J. Rhett that jolted the Humphrey Coliseum crowd to its feet.

Ole Miss recovered quickly, stunning the Bulldogs with a 17-4 run to open the second half to take a 44-36 lead. The outburst was punctuated by a deep 3-pointer from Moody, who hit it from several feet behind the line.

But history shows Mississippi State has a huge advantage in Starkville and the Rebels couldn’t pull away, even with Moody dropping 3-pointers from all over the court. Moody shot 8 of 12 from 3-point range and 5 of 6 on free throws.

Ole Miss didn’t clinch the win until Moody hit two free throws with 14 seconds left to make it a two-possession game.Ole Miss shot 50 percent from the field (16 of 32) in the second half.

—–TIP-INS

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs had a 24-11 rebounding advantage during the first half.

… Mississippi State has already won more SEC games this season than in the first two years of coach Rick Ray’s tenure. The Bulldogs won three in the 2012-13 season and four last year.

Ole Miss: The Rebels played Mississippi State for the 252nd time on Thursday. That’s the most-played rivalry in the SEC.

UP NEXT

Mississippi State hosts Arkansas on Saturday.

Ole Miss hosts Tennessee on Saturday.