A big opportunity slipped away for Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs opened a critical three-game homestand Wednesday looking to climb into the top four in the SEC standings.
But instead lost to No. 21 LSU 92-88 in overtime at at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville as the homestretch started with another heart-breaking last-second defeat. The Bulldogs (16-6, 4-5) have lost four conference games by a combined 17 points, with two being in overtime.
“That was a gut-wrenching loss against a very good team,” MSU coach Ben Howland said. “Give them credit, the way they battled back. We had leads multiple times in the first and second half. Naz Reid was fantastic. He had a phenomenal second half, and they did a really good job of getting him the ball.”
LSU (18-4, 8-1) maintained a second-place tie in the conference standings with MSU’s Saturday opponent, No. 5 Kentucky. The Tigers have won five times in conference road games.
Naz Reid had 25 second-half points as the Tigers rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final 15:39 of the second half.
“Only having four turnovers in the second half really helped us,” LSU coach Will Wade said. “Obviously, a very good win for us. Mississippi State is a tremendous team. I thought we were going to come out and play well. It’s tough when you play a team like Mississippi State. We could play our best game and still get beat. It makes it tough, but we were able to scratch it out tonight.”
For MSU, Quinndary Weatherspoon had 27 points, while Reggie Perry recorded his fourth double-double (third in conference play) with 19 points and 10 rebounds. A surprise starter in the win over Ole Miss, Perry again delivered in the starting role. Perry has scored 18 or more in the Bulldogs’ last three games.
It’s a brutal loss for the Bulldogs, who were just starting to gain some momentum. It doesn’t get any easier when Kentucky comes to town Saturday.
nContact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com.
