Bulldog bench overpowers Rebels in rivalry showdown
As Mississippi State hit a rough patch in its SEC schedule with a 3-6 start, the Bulldogs were searching for different players to step up and make plays outside of the usual suspects.
Tolu Smith and Josh Hubbard spent most nights getting the offense going, but finding others to make plays to win games was what the Bulldogs were missing. That has changed in the last couple of weeks.
It was never more real than on Wednesday night when rival Ole Miss came to Humphrey Coliseum. Looking for a lift in a tight game, the Bulldogs got big shots and even bigger defensive plays from the bench as they powered past the Rebels in a 83-71 ball game.
Smith still was a catalyst in the contest, but this time it was off the bench. The senior All-American candidate finished with 24 points and led the way for a group of bench players to score 49 points in the victory.
“Our bench was tremendous. That’s why we won the game,” coach Chris Jans said. “We had so many productive guys coming off the bench and do a lot of things that don’t show up in the stat sheet.”
Jans said postgame that the decision not to start Smith was between the coach and the player, but it certainly seemed it lit a fire under the All-SEC center. Smith came in around the first media timeout and would score seven-straight points to get State out to an early double-digit lead.
Smith finished the game with 24 points and six rebounds on 8-of-15 shooting and had 18 points in the first half, but it wasn’t enough to allow the Bulldogs to step on the gas pedal. MSU lost a 12-point lead in the first half and trailed 44-40 at the half. The team needed a spark and they got it from the defense. That included some big plays from those bench players.
KeShawn Murphy, Rams Davis key big second-half run
Cameron Matthews and Smith went out of the ball game after a few minutes into the second half and things would swing in a big way. KeShawn Murphy and DaShawn Davis helped spark the team to a 14-2 run that would turn the game and get the Sold Out Humphrey Coliseum rocking as the lead grew to double digits.
Murphy’s 3-pointer with 10:56 got State a little distance at 64-57 and brought the crowd to its feet as the Rebels were never able to fully get back into the ball game from there. Murphy came through for 12 points on 4-of-8 and five rebounds in 22 minutes as he continues to grow his game.
After missing several SEC contests, including the first meeting between the two teams, he made a difference on Wednesday.
“Throughout the season, that’s what it’s really been. When guys are fouling, we need guys to step up on the bench,” Murphy said. “That really makes us down the stretch. Guys know that they need to step up and they get it done.”
DaShawn Davis was a big part of things in the second half as well. After the Bulldogs had given up 50% shooting in the first half and 44 points, they surrendered 29% and 27 points in the second half. Davis helped swing that defensively and he had three steals to go along with three assists in 25 minutes.
There was also the return of DJ Jeffries as he knocked down a couple of 3-pointers in 19 minutes and is working back from a minor knee injury.
A multitude of players contributing in their way is exactly what the Bulldogs have to have to make a run in March. State improved to 18-8 and 7-6 in SEC play with four-straight wins and a chance for five on the road at LSU on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.
“We always want more. We’re greedy, it’s how we’re built,” Jans said. “They’ve got a chance to be playing their best basketball down the stretch. It’s peaking around the corner and we’re trending in that direction. We’ve still got things to get better at and tidy things up, but we’re playing a good brand of basketball for this team right now.”
