No. 22 Mississippi State got revenge over rival Ole Miss over the weekend.
The Bulldogs defeated the Rebels 81-75 before 9,500 fans in Oxford.
Ole Miss (14-7, 4-4 SEC), after a 4-0 SEC start and an appearance in the rankings, lost for the fifth time in six games.
The Bulldogs (16-5, 4-4) dominated the glass with a plus-12 rebounding edge. They were lethal on the offensive end with 15 rebounds leading to 19 second-chance points.
Senior Quindarry Weatherspoon had 27 points to lead the Bulldogs in the rematch, and freshman forward Reggie Perry had a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds, seven of them on the offensive end.
Weatherspoon had 14 points — including 8 for 9 at the free throw line — in the last 10 minutes, 9 seconds of the game.
“The last 8 minutes of the game he really took over and did a lot of great things off the dribble,” MSU coach Ben Howland said.
“I was so proud of our guys for the way they kept their composure, kept their mental toughness.”
State rose to 26th in the latest NCAA NET Rankings, up three spots from this time last week.
MSU hosts two of the SEC’s top teams in LSU and Kentucky this week. The Tigers come to Humphrey Coliseum on Wednesday for an 8 p.m. ESPNU game, while the Wildcats visit on Saturday at noon on CBS.
After a white hot start to SEC play, the Rebels have lost five of their last six and four straight inside the conference. Coach Kermit Davis has complained about his players’ effort in losses to Alabama and MSU, the latter at home before a sold-out crowd.
The Rebels must reverse that trend to get back on track and back into anyone’s NCAA tournament conversation.
