Mississippi State threw everything but the kitchen sink at Alabama on Saturday, but in the end, it was not enough, as the Crimson Tide defeated the Bulldogs 64-59 at the Humphrey Coliseum, clinching the SEC championship for the first time since the 2002 season.
Final from The Hump pic.twitter.com/XuvAkGSuR9
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) February 28, 2021
State trailed by 13 points at the halftime break, but battled to within three with 4:17 to go. State would miss their next three shots, and Bama took advantage, extending the lead back out to seven before Iverson Molinar’s layup secured the final margin with three seconds to go. State was led by DJ Stewart with 15 points, followed by Molinar with 14, and Tolu Smith with 12. Smith added 12 rebounds to rack up his seventh double double of the year. Abdul Ado just missed a double double in his final appearance at The Hump, adding 9 points and 9 boards.
Abdul STUFF
Iverson BUCKETS#HailState🐶 | 📺 @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/aVwoTkOggP
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) February 28, 2021
State held the Tide to a paltry 32.3% from the field, including only 25% from behind the arc, where Alabama leads the league at 36.9%. Turnovers and missed free throws were the difference, with the Bulldogs recording 16 giveaways and missing 7 shots at the line. The Crimson Tide were nearly immaculate from the charity stripe, hitting 15-17 shots. The Tide also dominated from the bench, with their reserves outscoring MSU’s 36-5 for the game.
State falls to 13-12 on the season, 7-9 in the SEC. Two games remain on the schedule for the Bulldogs, both on the road, as they’ll travel to Texas A&M on Wednesday, then wrapping up the regular season in Auburn on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of Mississippi State athletics
