By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com
The Ole Miss Rebels dropped a hard-fought game in front of a sold-out crowd to their in-state rival the No. 22 Mississippi State Bulldogs 81-75 on Saturday afternoon.
“Give Mississippi State a lot of credit,” Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis said. “They had more toughness than us from the start.”
Ole Miss (14-7, 4-4) was led on the floor by junior Breein Tyree with 25 points. A total of three other players joined Tyree in double-figure scoring as senior Terence Davis tallied 15 points, Devontae Shuler recorded 14 points and Bruce Stevens added 13 points on the day.
The Rebels had success from beyond the three-point line as they made 11-of-21 attempts for 52.4 percent along with a continued streak from the free-throw line hitting 12-of-14 in the game.
In the first half, Ole Miss and Mississippi State both had runs to take the lead. After Blake Hinson drained a three-pointer the Bulldogs went on a 7-0 run before the Rebels had a 13-0 run of their own to take a 21-15 advantage at the 10:21 mark before halftime.
Ole Miss would take a 43-39 lead into the dressing room at the break.
Mississippi State was led by Quinndary Weatherspoon with 27 points along with his teammate Reggie Perry who had a double-double 21 points and 11 rebounds in the win.
“Reggie Perry, the freshman, was a man among boys on the front line,” Davis said.
The Bulldogs hit 52.0 percent from the field in the second half as they outscored Ole Miss 42-32 in the second half of action.
The Rebels did not relinquish the lead until a 3-pointier by Perry as Mississippi State took a 62-60 advantage at the 9:23 mark left in the game.
Ole Miss shot 45.6 percent from the field in the game and got out rebound 40-28 by the Bulldogs.
“(Mississippi State) out toughed us,” Davis said. “We couldn’t keep them off the offensive boards.”
Ole Miss returns to the court on Wednesday as they host the Texas A&M Aggies. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. on the SEC Network.
“We’re going to go back and practice and get ready for a good Texas A&M team,” he said. “Their talent level is going to be right at ours.”
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