Bulldogs improve to 6-0 behind Carter
Ever since his days over at Starkville High School, Mississippi State's Tyson Carter has had the reputation for being a scorer.
On Thursday night at Humphrey Coliseum, the sophomore guard scored like few Bulldogs before him ever have.
Carter easily set a new career high with 35 points to help Mississippi State cruise past North Dakota State 83-59. Carter's point total was the highest of any MSU player since Bulldog great Darryl Wilson tallied 35 back in 1995. Only 18 times in Mississippi State history has a player scored more than the 35 Carter tallied on Thursday.
“Tyson Carter really loosened things up for us and shot the ball just incredibly,” Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland said. “I'm so proud of his teammates. They knew (Carter) had it going. They kept looking for him and looking to find him. They were setting screens for him.
“We really got Tyson going and kept riding him.”
Thursday night's contest also served as the final game of the series of basketball games around the country dubbed Hoops in the Heartland. Carter took home coMost Valuable Player honors for the event.
It was well-deserved. Carter was 12-of-17 from the field in Thursday's game and 6-of-10 from behind the 3-point line. He was also a perfect 5-for-5 on his free-throw attempts.
Carter has now scored 25 or more points in two of his last three games.
“I've just been in the gym and working on my shot to make it consistent,” Carter said of what has led to his recent big nights.
Carter's 35-point game Thursday wasn't only an MSU career best for Carter, it was one of his highest-scoring contests ever. The total came just eight points shy of Carter's best high school game when he scored 43 against Pontotoc in his senior season at Starkville.
While Carter's point total kept climbing against North Dakota State, his teammates just kept making sure Carter had the ball.
“Whenever he's hot like that, we just have to find him,” MSU guard Nick Weatherspoon said. “(Howland) was calling lots of plays for him because he was hot, and us guards, we just had to get (Carter) the shots, especially with him hot.”
With Carter leading the Bulldogs offensively, aided by Quinndary Weatherspoon's career-high 10 assists, MSU's defense took care of the rest.
The Bulldogs (6-0) limited the Bison (3-4) to just 38.6 percent shooting, including just a 33.3 percent mark in the first half. North Dakota State didn't even crack the scoreboard until over 6 1/2 minutes into the game.
“That's why we're winning is our defense,” Howland said.
Mississippi State never trailed in the game. The Bulldogs led 29-24 at halftime and blew things wide open in the second half, thanks in large part to Carter's continued ability to sink shots.
When it was all said and done, MSU cemented its first 6-0 start since the 2003-04 Bulldogs began that season 13-0.
It has been a group effort for Mississippi State to be so successful up to this point. For Thursday though, Carter shined brighter than any other Bulldog.
“Everybody loves Tyson,” Howland said. “Everyone was excited for him.”