Video: Mississippi State Wins 4th Straight SEC Game in Victory over Alabama

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI/MSU Athletics) – Mississippi State kept on climbing the SEC basketball standings Tuesday night, and this time the victim was border rival Alabama.

Behind 18 points from Nick Weatherspoon and 13 points from Quinndary Weatherspoon, MSU won its edged the Tide, 67-63, at Humphrey Coliseum.

Now on its longest conference win streak since 2008, the Bulldogs moved to fourth place in the standings by snapping a four-game losing streak against Alabama, which fell to 15-9 and 6-5.

The Bulldogs have now matched a school record with 16 victories at home this season.

Abdul Ado and Aric Holman each had three blocked shots. Lamar Peters had four assists.

“It was a great win against a great team,” MSU head Ben Howland said. “They are an NCAA Tournament, so that’s a big win. I am proud of our toughness. We were struggling to score in the first half because two good defensive teams were going at it.

“We showed a lot of belief in one another. We overcame some foul trouble. Really proud of how hard we played and how tough we were down the stretch.”

The lead switched hands several times before Alabama eased into an advantage midway through the half. The Crimson Tide led by five at 18-13, 20-15 and 22-17.

The Bulldogs followed with nine-straight points to grab a 26-22 lead on a jumper by Nick Weatherspoon with 2:42 left in the half.

The Bulldogs stretched the lead to four twice before leading 30-28 at halftime.

In the second half, the Bulldogs started things with a 9-2 run for a 39-30 lead.

Alabama battled back for a 45-44 lead with 11:29 left in the contest. The Crimson Tide would later stretch the lead to 49-45.

The Bulldogs claimed the lead for good at 55-54 on a layup by Nick Weatherspoon with 4:31 left.

For the contest, MSU hit 24 of 52 shots from the field (46.2 percent), 2 of 19 shots from 3-point range (10.5 percent) and 17 of 28 shots from the foul line (60.7 percent). Alabama hit 18 of 49 shots from the field (36.7 percent), 3 of 22 shots from 3-point range (13.6 percent) and 24 of 30 shots from the foul line (80.0 percent).

MSU held a 36-29 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 10 assists and 10 turnovers, while the Crimson Tide had four assists and 13 turnovers.

Alabama received 18 points from Collin Sexton, 11 points from Daniel Giddens and 11 points from Braxton Key. Donta Hall and Key each had a team-high six rebounds.

MSU plays at Missouri at 1 p.m. CT Saturday. The game will be shown nationally on ESPN2.