Heartbreak in the Heartland: Bulldogs Drop Close One to CSU

Despite leading for almost 32 minutes, coach Ben Howland and his team couldn’t seal the deal against the undefeated Colorado State Rams.

MSU men’s hoops fell to 1-3 in terms of their big nonconference tests up to this point in the season, as they dropped a brutal 66-63 game against the still undefeated Colorado State Rams on Saturday. 

The Bulldogs led for 32 minutes of the game, forcing a good amount of turnovers and keeping the high-powered CSU offense at arms reach until late in the game, when a few bad shots and defensive miscues breathed life back into the Rams. Stud forward David Roddy led all scorers for Colorado State with 19 points, while Garrison Brooks led the charge for the Bulldogs with 15.

“(It was a) very tough and hard-fought loss against a very good Colorado State team. (I’m) disappointed - needless to say - to be up 8 in the last six and a half minutes,” said Bulldog head coach Ben Howland after the game, “…you look at our defense, they’re (CSU) one of the best defensive teams in the country, and I thought we did an overall very good job.”

The real struggle for Mississippi State did indeed come on the offensive end in this one. MSU ended the game on one made bucket out of their last 10 shots. They shot 34% on the night - 21-for-62, and against a team like Colorado State, who has a bad night if they don’t shoot above 50%, that simply won’t get the job done. Even Brooks, the team’s leading scorer, only managed to shoot 6-14. If the Bulldogs wish to keep their now slim tournament hopes alive, it is imperative that they turn those numbers around come the SEC slate.

This loss puts MSU at a 6-3 record on the season, with virtually no quality wins except to a Montana team who currently sits at 8-4, with their best win being over Southern Miss. - a suboptimal situation for the Bulldogs. Their next game will be on December 14th, as they make the trip back to Starkville to face the Georgia State Panthers in The Hump with a 7 p.m. CT tip time.