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Mississippi State Basketball: Second Half Surge Leads Bulldogs Past #13 Missouri, 78-63

BySpencer Wright|
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - FEBRUARY 15: D.J. Stewart #3 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs plays defense during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena on February 15, 2020 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Bulldogs defeated the Razorbacks 78-77. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - FEBRUARY 15: D.J. Stewart #3 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs plays defense during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena on February 15, 2020 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Bulldogs defeated the Razorbacks 78-77. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

Mississippi State Basketball: Second Half Surge Leads Bulldogs Past #13 Missouri, 78-63

Mississippi State Basketball needed a strong bounceback game after Saturday’s double-overtime loss to Kentucky. The Bulldogs got just that Tuesday night by defeating 13th-ranked Missouri by a score of 78-63. Mississippi State improved to 7-4 (2-1 SEC), while Mizzou dropped to 7-2 (1-2 SEC).

After a back and forth game to start, Missouri led by as many as 14 after a Dru Smith layup had them up 30-16. The Tigers took a 39-27 lead at halftime. Mississippi State needed a spark in the second half to avoid a second straight SEC home loss.

The spark came in the form of sophomore guard DJ Stewart. Whenever the Bulldogs needed a bucket, Stewart delivered. After Missouri extended their lead out of the locker room to 14, a Stewart jumper finished off a 15-0 run that put the Bulldogs in front, 44-43. After the two teams traded buckets, Stewart completed a three-point play to put State up 51-50. This ignited a 21-4 Bulldog run that would put the game away and into the W column for Mississippi State.

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Mississippi State outscored Mizzou 51-24 in the second half, which was more than enough to erase the 12-point halftime deficit. The Bulldogs only turned the ball over 3 times in the last 20 minutes and outrebounded the Tigers 37-22 for the game. Mississippi State shot 51.9% from the field, while Mizzou was 44.8%.

DJ Stewart scored a team-high 24 points, shooting an efficient 10-14 from the floor, while Iverson Molinar and Tolu Smith added 20 and 15, respectively. Mississippi State made 19-21 from the FT line, the Achilles heel this season. Missouri was led by Jeremiah Tilmon, who finished with 16 points. Xavier Pinson dropped in 13 points in the loss.

Mississippi State will look to continue its winning ways on Saturday, as the Bulldogs travel to Memorial Gymnasium to take on Vanderbilt. Tip-off is set for 12 PM and will be televised on the SEC Network.

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