MSU guards lead way in tough win over South Carolina

Before this basketball season even began, Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland said he thought his backcourt was the strength of his team.

Perhaps that group hasn’t flexed its muscle any more all year long than it did on Saturday as MSU’s guard play provided the punch the Bulldogs needed to win a heavyweight fight over South Carolina by a score of 72-68 in overtime at Humphrey Coliseum.

“What a gut-check win for us against a very tough, hard-nosed, really well-coached team in South Carolina,” Howland said.

The victory continued to give Mississippi State (21-8, 9-7) hope of securing the school’s first berth in the NCAA Tournament since 2009. There is still work to be done on that front, but on Saturday, in a physical, grinding affair, it was the performances of State’s guards that kept the dream alive.

Four of MSU’s guards scored in double figures. Lamar Peters had a team-high 19 points to go along with five assists and four steals. Quinndary Weatherspoon and former Starkville High School player Tyson Carter each scored 13 with Weatherspoon also totaling four assists and four steals. Nick Weatherspoon scored 10.

Though he scored the fewest points, Eli Wright came off the bench to perhaps have the biggest night of all. The athletic sophomore tallied eight points, but all eight came during a 2 1/2 minute stretch in the middle of the second half that pulled State within one point of the lead after trailing for most of the game.

“The hero of the game was (Wright),” Howland said. “When he came in, he really inspired our team.”

However there was plenty of credit to go around when it came to State’s guards.

Quinndary Weatherspoon had a steal and a couple of free throws in the final minute of the overtime period to help MSU clinch the win. His little brother Nick drilled a 3-pointer earlier, with 5:53 to go in regulation, to give the Bulldogs their first lead since the game’s opening moments.

Carter hit a few clutch 3s himself, none bigger than the one he drained to begin the

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