'Cuse me? Orange, Miss. St. advance Under'Dogs put leash on Cincy, 73-63
March 25, 1996|By Ken Murray | Ken Murray,SUN STAFF
LEXINGTON, KY. — .TC LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Mississippi State knocked the swagger out of Cincinnati and the home-court advantage out of Rupp Arena yesterday.
In a game that resembled a backyard brawl, the fifth-seeded Bulldogs floored second-seeded Cincinnati, 73-63, to win the NCAA Southeast Regional final and a berth in the Final Four.
The Bulldogs will take their bruising style of play to the Meadowlands next Saturday, where they'll meet another long shot, Syracuse, in the national semifinals.
They can only hope they'll still be underdogs when they hit the Big Apple.
"We like being the underdog," said 6-foot-11 center Erick Dampier. "Everywhere you looked, newspapers had us as the underdog against UConn. Even Dick Vitale picked us to be the underdog. Every time he picks us to be the underdog, we win."
The Bulldogs converted disbelievers with every step of their remarkable run to the Final Four. They are 8-0 in March and have won 15 of the past 17 games.
In the last two weeks, State beat three teams in the top seven of the AP poll -- then-No. 1 Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference tournament championship game, No. 3 Connecticut in the regional semifinals and No. 7 Cincinnati.
Yesterday, the Bulldogs (26-7) led wire to wire, beating the Bearcats (28-5) at their own physical game. A searing start by 6-7 small forward Dontae Jones effectively took the largely partisan crowd of Cincinnati fans out of the game and helped earn him the outstanding player award for the Southeast Region.
Jones hit his first six shots and scored 15 of Mississippi State's first 18 points -- including 10 in a row -- as the Bulldogs opened leads of 13-4 and 20-10.
"Those are shots I usually take," he said. "The adrenalin was pumping more than usual today. The ball was feeling good coming off my hands, and I tend to keep shooting once the shots are falling."
Jones had 17 points at halftime and 23 for the game with 13 rebounds.
Mississippi State's backcourt of Darryl Wilson (16 points) and Marcus Bullard combined for 27 points and eight assists.
In the game within the game, the Bulldogs were able to survive Dampier's second-half foul trouble with a seven-point, four-rebound game from Tyrone Washington off the bench and a 10-rebound contribution from Russell Walters.
