Mississippi State opened the basketball season with a fast paced effort against Austin Peay, which saw the Bulldogs rack up 95 points. On Sunday against a more deliberate Hartford squad, the Bulldogs changed their gameplan and got the same results, a 77-59 win that moved MSU to 2-0 on the young season. Quinndary Weatherspoon once again led the Bulldogs in scoring with 22 points, while fellow senior Aric Holman chipped in 12 points of his own.
REBOUNDING RICHES
Dawgs doubling up the opposition in the paint, 24-12.#HailState? pic.twitter.com/YdbmDKY1XN
— MSU Men's Basketball ? (@HailStateMBK) November 11, 2018
As you might expect in these early out of conference, Mississippi State enjoyed a big advantage in the frontcourt, and it showed. The Bulldogs were plus 8 in the rebounding column, including a 16-8 edge on the offensive board. Holman and center Abdul Ado combined for 18 of MSU’s 36 rebounds, consistently keeping Hartford away from the rim and unable to get second chance points.
TAKEAWAYS LOOM LARGE
Lamar Peters reading the passing lane, getting the steal, and finishing the dunk for Mississippi State ??
(via @clippittv) pic.twitter.com/7iZYijmBjU
— Basketball Society (@BBallSociety_) November 11, 2018
MSU really got after the passing lanes in this game, forcing 21 turnovers, including 15 steals, which lead to 18 points in transition. The Bulldogs have such an athletic group of guards, all of whom are quality defenders, so this should be an area of strength for Ben Howland’s team throughout the season. Peters especially has shown a knack for pilfers, as he demonstrates in the video above.
Mississippi State gets back to action on Friday at 8 PM against Long Beach State, again at home in the Humphrey Coliseum. The Bulldogs will look to go 3-0 for the second straight season. We’ll talk in depth about hoops on Tuesday’s Thunder & Lightning Podcast, and of course, on SportsTalk Mississippi.
