Bulldogs Back At Home For First In Three Weeks To Face ASU

Article posted by Mississippi Gazette  Photo by hailstate.com
STARKVILLE - After a four-game road swing that concluded this past weekend at Oregon State, Mississippi State will return home to the Humphrey Coliseum for the first time in more than three weeks to host Arkansas State on Wednesday.
The SEC Network will broadcast the 6 p.m. outing, with Matt Stewart and Dane Bradshaw handling the call.
“It will definitely be good playing in front of our fans again,” MSU coach Rick Ray said.  “I know our players are looking forward to being back on their home court.”
The Bulldogs suffered a tough setback on the West Coast Saturday, dropping a 59-49 decision to the Beavers. Fred Thomas had one of his better games of the year with  16 points and career-best 9 rebounds. The game also saw Craig Sword’s return to the starting lineup for the first time this season following back surgery. He responded with 8 points.
“I’m just trying to get better with each game,” he said. “I’ve just got to get my conditioning back.”
Wednesday’s bout will mark the 12^th time Arkansas State and Mississippi State have played. The Bulldogs hold a 9-2 advantage in the series and have never lost to the Red Wolves in Starkville.
Mississippi State (5-3) is looking to get back into the win column after dropping its last three games. Thomas MSU in scoring with 13.0 points, while Gavin Ware (12.5 ppg) and Roquez Johnson (11 ppg) also highlight the Bulldog offense.
The Red Wolves (2-4) are under the direction of coach John Brady, a former MSU assistant from 1983-90. Sophomore forward Anthony Livingston leads the team in scoring and rebounding with 17.3 points and 6.5 boards.
Following Wednesday’s showdown, the Bulldogs are back in action Saturday against South Carolina Upstate in Jackson, Miss. Tip at Mississippi Coliseum is set for 3 p.m.

Rebels Drop Home Battle to Horned Frogs

Article posted by Mississippi Gazette

OXFORD, Miss. - Junior guard Stefan Moody led Ole Miss with 12 points, as the Rebels fell to TCU 66-54 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Thursday.

TCU (8-0) held Ole Miss (5-2) to a season-low 29.8 percent from the field, including a 7:11 scoring drought in the second half, during which the Horned Frogs turned a five-point lead into a decisive 18-point lead.

“We didn’t have any rhythm,” head coach Andy Kennedy said. “We’re searching for options offensively. Defensively, we were locked in early. It’s hard to maintain a certain intensity on the defensive side when you’re so inefficient offensively, and it just spreads throughout.”

Moody was the lone Rebel in double figures, his team-leading fifth game in double figures this season, scoring seven of his 12 points in the second half. Sophomore forward Sebastian Saiz was second on the team with nine points, followed by senior guard Jarvis Summers with eight. Senior forward M.J. Rhett led the Rebels with seven rebounds.

In a back-and-forth first half that featured three ties and 10 lead changes, TCU took a 27-24 lead into the locker room. It was a defensive battle for much of the half, as the teams combined to go 16-of-53 from the field.

TCU did its damage from 3-point range, where they went 4-of-8, while Ole Miss remained close by going 8-of-10 from the free-throw line, despite going 7-of-28 from the field and 0-of-6 from 3-point range.

Ole Miss scored the first points of the second half, drawing to within one, before TCU answered with a 6-0 run to stretch the lead to seven. The Rebels battled back to within five, 42-37, with 13:06 left, before the Horned Frogs went on a 13-0 run and took their lead out to 55-37 with 5:55 left.

“It’s a two or three-possession game, and then they get second, third and fourth-chance opportunities and they ended up getting separation,” Kennedy said. “With our inability to score consistently, we were running uphill all night.”

TCU led wire-to-wire in the second half, leading by as many as 19, behind 43.3 percent shooting and a 27-12 rebounding advantage in the half, including 11-3 on the offensive glass.

“I’m trying to play a bunch of guys a bunch of minutes because I’m just trying to find some consistency, somebody that wants to play and somebody wants to separate themselves and earn minutes,” Kennedy said. "We’re trying everything we can, especially on our frontline to get somebody to snatch a hard rebound that maybe would allow us get out in the open floor and try make a play and get a little momentum, and we just couldn’t do that.”

Ole Miss returns to action, traveling to Oregon on Sunday for their second true road game of the season. Tip-off between the Rebels and the Ducks is set for 3 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.

“It’s a hard trip, across the country against a quality Pac-12 opponent,” Kennedy said. “After we built some momentum, winning five in a row and playing well down in Florida, I’m not pushing the right buttons and I have to figure out a way to get this team to play the way I saw them play for two games against Creighton and Cincinnati.”