Bulldogs building momentum as MSU dominates South Carolina

Mississippi State has now won back-to-back games

Only about 10 days ago, it seemed like Mississippi State's men's basketball season was headed downhill in a hurry. But sparked by last Saturday's win over instate rival Ole Miss, the Bulldogs have suddenly stopped their bleeding and are starting to build momentum.

MSU won its second-straight game on Wednesday with a 69-48 triumph over South Carolina. The Bulldogs dominated the affair as they picked up back-to-back league wins for the first time since topping Missouri and Vanderbilt on January 5 and January 9, respectively.

"We really took a positive step (Wednesday) with another great effort," Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland said. "That was the key (Wednesday), the effort and execution offensively and defensively."

The Bulldogs (13-11, 7-8) are are now 2-0 against conference competition following a stretch in which they had lost six out of seven league games. In the victory over the Gamecocks (5-12, 3-10), defense led the way for MSU.

State held South Carolina to just 29 percent shooting. The Bulldogs also more than doubled the rebounding output of the Gamecocks as MSU won the battle on the boards 49-24.

"I loved the rebounding," Howland said. "I thought Tolu (Smith) with 13 and (Abdul) Ado with eight really anchored that. I don't remember the last time we held a team to 29 percent (shooting) in an SEC game."

With State's defense putting the clamps on the Gamecocks, D.J. Stewart led the way offensively for MSU. He scored a game-high 15 points with 12 of them coming in the first half as the Bulldogs built a 38-23 lead over the game's first 20 minutes. In the second half, the Gamecocks never got closer than within 12 points and MSU ultimately pulled away.

Mississippi State's D.J. Stewart (No. 3) handles the ball for the Bulldogs on Wednesday night. Stewart scored 15 points in the MSU win over South Carolina. (Photo courtesy of Mississippi State athletics)

Helping out Stewart on the offensive end was Ado with 11 points. Tolu Smith and Iverson Molinar each had nine.

As for Molinar, he might have been the night's only somewhat-bad news for the Bulldogs. Howland didn't allow Molinar to start Wednesday's game because Molinar was late for a team function earlier in the week.

"We started Deivon (Smith) (instead of Molinar) because Iverson was late and he is never late," Howland said. "But we have to keep things tight here and that was the only reason he didn't start. Iverson will be back in the starting lineup Saturday."

When Molinar and the Bulldogs get back on the court this Saturday, it'll be against one of the Southeastern Conference's best teams as Alabama comes to Starkville. Tip-off for the game is now set for 5 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum.

Alabama will enter Saturday's contest sitting atop the SEC standings. The Crimson Tide already defeated the Bulldogs once this season as MSU fell 81-73 in Tuscaloosa last month. So it's safe to say State knows all too well just how good Alabama can be.

But these days, the Bulldogs are proving they can be pretty good themselves. The question is, can they sustain it?

"We've got to keep playing together and keep playing hard and try to keep this thing rolling," Stewart said.

For more from Wednesday's game, CLICK HERE TO WATCH MSU HEAD COACH BEN HOWLAND'S FULL POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE. And be sure to watch the video at the top of this page to see D.J. Stewart's full postgame media session.

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