After Saturday’s win over Cincinnati, Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland was adamant with the media, Wednesday’s game against Wofford was going to be incredibly tough. Howland’s words were prophetic, as the Bulldogs had to battle back from a nine point halftime deficit to claim a 98-87 win over the relentless Terriers. Mississippi State shot 65% in the second half, after Wofford had burned the nets in the first half to the tune of 9-12 from behind the arc. The Bulldogs put five players in double figures, led by Lamar Peters and Aric Holman with 19 apiece.
TALE OF TWO HALVES
As mentioned, Wofford shot the ball incredibly well in the first half, including an absurd 75% from three point range. State played pretty well in the first half, but with the Terriers on fire, it wasn’t enough and the Bulldogs went into the locker room down 9. An early Wofford three pushed that lead out to 12, but from there MSU would go on a 22-5 run, finally taking the lead for good at 57-56 following a pair of Holman free throws. State would continue to fill up the nets, extending the lead to as many as 12. The Bulldogs would finish the second half shooting at 65.2%, including 61.5% from three point land.
THESE GUYS CAN SHOOT
Fun with numbers: Mississippi State is 59 of 110 from 3-point range over the past four games. That's nearly 54 percent.
— David Brandt (@davidbrandtAP) December 20, 2018
Mississippi State’s success from behind the line can no longer be considered an outlier. The numbers just don’t lie, the three point shot has become the most reliable weapon for the Bulldogs. State just has so many guys that feel comfortable hoisting up a shot from distance, and for the past few games, they have been falling for all those shooters. One game, I would say MSU was getting lucky, four in a row, its obviously part of this team’s identity and gameplan.
WHAT’S NEXT?
FINAL
Raiders pull away down the stretch, win their second consecutive game with just one non-conference tilt before @HorizonLeague play!#RaiderUp pic.twitter.com/3jik81StH4
— WrightStateMBB (@WSU_MBB) December 19, 2018
Ben Howland’s plan to strengthen his team’s out of conference schedule has worked to perfection, and the Bulldogs face another test in Wright State Saturday night in Jackson. The Raiders were an NCAA tournament team last season, their third 20 win campaign in a row. Mississippi State will have to continue this high level of play in their final two contests before SEC play begins on January 8 against South Carolina.
As you can guess, there will be plenty to talk about regarding this win on the Thunder & Lightning Podcast and SportsTalk Mississippi tomorrow.
Photo courtesy of Mississippi State athletics
