Video: Mississippi State Men’s Basketball Drops Close One To No. 21 Texas A&M

[syndicaster id=’6157731′]STARKVILLE, Miss. (MSU Athletics) – Mississippi State lost out on an upset bid in heart-breaking fashion Wednesday night at Humphrey Coliseum.

No. 21 Texas A&M broke a tie with a dunk by Jalen Jones with 20 seconds left in regulation. The Bulldogs then turned the ball over on their next possession, while the Aggies hit a pair of free throws to build a four-point lead.

Texas A&M then held on for a 61-60 victory before a crowd of 6,693. It was the Bulldogs’ first game against a ranked opponent and third straight loss in a conference opener.

Texas A&M improved to 12-2 overall and 2-0 in league play. MSU fell to 7-6 and 0-1.

“That is a tough loss after a great effort,” MSU coach Ben Howland said. “We held a Top 20 team to 30 percent from the field. We gave up too many second shots. They had 13 more shots at the basket than we did. We just allowed too many offensive rebounds. Yet, we are right there. Our crowd was terrific. It really motivated and was enthusiastic. I am disappointed for them.”

Gavin Ware led MSU with 15 points, while Malik Newman added 14 and Quinndary Weatherspoon 12. Ware matched a season high with 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season.

“Texas A&M came out and played hard,” Newman said. “They did everything our coaches told us they were going to do. We just lost some battles there, and that cost us the game.”

Texas A&M struggled mightily from the field in the opening half.

MSU took advantage by erasing a 7-5 deficit for a 21-13 lead. A 3-point by Newman followed by five straight points from Weatherspoon highlighted the run.

Texas A&M righted the ship and scored nine points in the space of a minute. A 3-pointer by D.J. Hogg placed the Aggies on top 22-21.

Another trey by Hogg ran out the first half and gave the Aggies a 28-25 lead at the break.

In the second half, the Aggies held a lead until a jumper by Ware tied the game at 37 with 12:52 left.

The Bulldogs would actually build a 44-40 advantage on a pair of free throws by Newman, but the Aggies responded with nine-straight points for a 49-44 lead.

The Bulldogs kept battling and grabbed their last lead at 53-52 with 2:41 left on a 3-pointer by Newman.

Texas A&M answered with a 3-pointer by Alex Caruso.

The Bulldogs missed out on a chance to tie when Newman missed two free throws. The tie was then later reached at 55 and 57. However, the hosts could never gain another lead.

For the contest, MSU hit 21 of 49 shots from the field (42.9 percent), 6 of 23 shots from 3-point range (26.1 percent) and 12 of 18 shots from the foul line (66.7 percent). Texas A&M hit 19 of 62 shots from the field (30.6 percent), 9 of 27 shots from 3-point range (33.3 percent) and 14 of 19 shots from the foul line (73.7 percent).

Texas A&M held a 41-34 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had nine assists and 14 turnovers, while the Aggies had 15 assists and 11 turnovers.

“We have to get better at blocking out,” Ware said. “Playing all-around good defense will lead us to playing better offense. We just have to keep doing that. In practice, we have to put a focal point on blocking out and allowing fewer rebounds.”

Texas A&M received 11 points each from Hogg, Jones and Caruso. Admon Gilder had 10 points for the Aggies.

“We have to bounce back now with two games real quickly,” Howland said. “I am really proud of this effort. We just have to get better at some things.”

MSU returns to the road Saturday at Arkansas in a 2:30 p.m. showdown on the SEC Network.