The No. 14 Bulldogs survived a late Vanderbilt surge to mount a 76-64 road win in Nashville on Tuesday night.
Chris Jans and company improved to 14-1 overall and 2-0 in SEC action. And it wasn’t just a win for Mississippi State. It was another showing where the Dawgs controlled the contest for most of the night. It’s become a common theme this year for the Bulldogs against premier competition.
They blew out Pittsburgh, had a comfortable win on the road at Memphis, and dominated South Carolina in the SEC opener. Now it’s the Commodores finding out firsthand that the Dawgs are for real.
A Cameron Matthews layup gave Mississippi State a 14-12 edge less than seven minutes into Tuesday’s game. The Bulldogs never trailed the rest of the way, leading by as many as 22 points in the second half on the way to the triumph. To Vandy’s credit, the Commodores staged a second-half rally to pull back within five points late.
However, Mississippi State hung tough and held on, wrapping the game in Maroon and White for the Dawgs’ eighth straight win.
Key Numbers
RJ Melendez’s season-high 19 points were crucial for Mississippi State in the road contest. The Georgia transfer also came up just a few boards shy of a double-double as he collected seven rebounds. Matthews scored 16 points for State and Claudell Harris, Jr. added 13.
As good as all that was, defense was the driving force behind this win as it has been for so many since Jans arrived in Starkville. Vanderbilt shot just 35.5% as a team and connected on a mere five of 26 three-point attempts. The Commodores’ offensive numbers were boosted due to a mid-second-half surge that saw Vanderbilt whittle a 54-32 Mississippi State advantage down to 65-60.
From there, State once again locked in defensively, allowing only one field goal and four points over the final 4:19 to lock down victory.
Next Up
Mississippi State returns home for a big matchup in Starkville. The Bulldogs will host Kentucky on Saturday. Tipoff at Humphrey Coliseum is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
