Bulldogs beat Rebs, clinch SEC double bye
It was the double-double that clinched a double bye in the Southeastern Conference Tournament for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Reggie Perry scored 22 points and pulled down 14 rebounds as the Bulldogs defeated the rival Ole Miss Rebels 69-44 at Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday night.
After MSU lost 83-58 to Ole Miss in Oxford earlier this season, Perry and the Bulldogs turned the tables on the Rebels and won by 25 points in Starkville.
“He was like a man among boys,” Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis said about Perry's performance. “It's amazing.”
MSU improved to 20-11 overall and 11-7 in the SEC. The Bulldogs won't have to play until they face either the Rebels again, Georgia or
Florida on Friday in Nashville, Tenn.
Perry likes the position Mississippi State now finds itself for the SEC Tournament.
“It will definitely help us to get something like that,”
Perry said about getting the double bye.
With the game tied at 21-21 in the first half, the Bulldogs went on a 10-0 run to take a 31-21 lead
on a 3-point field goal Nick Weatherspoon.
MSU was up 39-25 at the half.
In the second half, the Bulldogs outscored the Rebels 30-19.
“Give all the credit to (Mississippi State head coach) Ben (Howland) and his team,”
Davis said. “Mississippi State played like an NCAA team and they deserve to be in the tournament.”
Devontae Shuler led Ole Miss with 16 points, but MSU held Breein Tyree to 11.
Tyree had 40 points against the Bulldogs in Oxford.
“It was our best defensive performance that I can remember at Mississippi State,” Howland said.
Weatherspoon and Robert
Woodard II scored 11 points each for the Bulldogs, while Tyson Carter added nine points in his final regular season game at home. Carter kissed the M-state logo in the middle of the court before leaving the floor with 2:37 left to play.
“It was my last night playing on senior night, so I felt like it was time to do something special,” Carter said of the gesture.