Moultrie leads MSU over LSU

Memphian nets career-high 28 points, grabs 12 rebounds MISSISSIPPI STATE 76, LSU 71

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State’s Arnett Moultrie had seen enough.

LSU had just launched and made four consecutive incredibly long 3-pointers in a 54-second span, and had one last possession to send Wednesday’s Southeastern Conference basketball game into overtime.

But it wasn’t going to happen on Moultrie’s watch.

The former Raleigh-egypt High star, who transferred to State after playing two years at UTEP, used his length and quickness to chase LSU guard Anthony Hickey almost to the Tigers’ bench where Hickey turned the ball over in a double -team with four seconds left.

State’s Dee Bost made the steal leading to Moultrie hitting the game -sealing free throws in a 76-71 victory before an extremely nervous Humphrey Coliseum crowd of 8,681.

“My mentality was there’s no way they are going to hit another lucky three,” said Moutrie, who tied his career-high with 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds (six offensive, six defensive).

The 18th ranked Bulldogs (17-4, 4-2 SEC), despite committing 17 turnovers leading to 24 LSU points, seemed to have the game in hand. State led 68-59 with 1:50 left after Bost hit one of two free throws.

That was Hickey’s cue to go crazy from 3-point range. He nailed 3-pointers with 1:09 left, 54 seconds left and 15 seconds left. Teammate Ralston Turner tossed in a deep left corner fadeaway

three with 25 seconds left that took the officiating crew five minutes to review on a courtside monitor to determine that it was a 3-pointer.

But State never lost the lead. It countered LSU’S 3-point barrage by hitting 8- of-10 free throws, including six straight, the biggest a pair by Jalen Steele with 13 seconds left when the Bulldogs were clinging to a 72-71 lead.

“I didn’t think we had our edge, and LSU made some tough threes,” State coach Rick Stansbury said. “But you’re not always going to have your edge in this league. You’ve got to find a way to survive when you’re not at your best.”

The way the Bulldogs did that was by destroying LSU (12-8, 2-4) in rebounding by a 46-26 margin. State shot just 43.6 percent from the field, but Moultrie and reserve forward Wendell Lewis played volleyball keeping missed shots alive in the second half.

Going against an LSU frontline that featured 7-foot center Justin Hamilton, the SEC’S leading scorer, 6-7 senior Storm Warren and heralded 6-9 freshman Johnny Bryant III, Moultrie was a beast.

His steal and buzzer beating layup gave State a 32-31 halftime lead, and he just rolled from there. In the second half, Moultrie had 19 points and 8 rebounds.

“I just think my quickness and athleticism bothered them a lot,” Moultrie said. “They had me boxed out, but they just couldn’t keep me sealed off.”

Moultrie’s scoring help included Steele, who had 15 points and three of the Bulldogs’ five 3s, and freshman Rodney Hood, who contributed 13 points including a couple of huge free throws in the closing seconds.

That was just enough to hold off LSU, which made 11- of-21 threes, including four by Hickey (16 points) and three by Turner (9 points).

“When you have good kids who fight and compete,” said LSU coach Trent Johnson, who got a technical foul after Moultrie and Bost raked the ball loose from Hickey on the game - deciding play, “and there’s stuff going on that you don’t like, you struggle with it.”