STARKVILLE, Miss. Mississippi State (10-5) caught fire from the field early and used a 20-1 run to turn a two-point deficit into a 26-9 spread in downing Western Kentucky University (9-5) 95-67 on Monday night at Humphrey Coliseum. In the final non-conference match-up for both schools, the Bulldogs had to weather a second-half rally from the Toppers, then scored 14 of the game's final 16 points to stretch the final margin.
With WKU leading 8-6 following a fastbreak lay-up from Steffphon Pettigrew with 16:24 remaining, Barry Stewart connected on the first of what would be a three-point barrage for the Bulldogs. MSU hit seven of its next eight field goals including a perfect 4-of-4 from deep to explode in front by 17 with 9:16 on the clock.
Mississippi State shot a sizzling 65.4 percent in the first half, and kept it coming in the second stanza, finishing at 66.0 percent for the game. Knocking down 14-of-22 from long range, MSU sank the most three-pointers in a game since December 2005. Their overall shooting performance was also the best in over three and a half years.
Ravern Johnson nearly had his career-best of 21 in the first half, pouring in 20 of his game-high 26 in the opening frame on 6-of-7 from deep. Dee Bost and Stewart each added 18 for the Bulldogs.
Mississippi State came out hot in the second half, scoring six-straight to open up a 53-25 advantage. AJ Slaughter, who picked up two fouls in seven seconds early in the first half and played only two minutes, drilled three-straight triples as part of an 11-2 spurt to get the spread back under 20 with 16:54 to play, but Johnson continued his outside shooting as the Bulldogs again led by 26.
Slaughter scored 14 of his 18 in the second half while Jeremy Evans collected his second double double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Pettigrew added 13.
Sergio Kerusch got a pull-up jumper in the paint to fall at the 15:09 mark as WKU made its run. Scoring 13 of the next 15 points, Kerusch capped off the scoring with a chance at a three-point play with 12:04 remaining. He missed on the free throw, leaving the deficit at 64-49, and Stewart countered with a big three on the other end as the Bulldogs kept the Toppers at arms length the rest of the way.
WKU continues its three-game, seven-day road swing on Thursday, January 8 when the Toppers play at Florida International in a Sun Belt Conference showdown at 6:00 PM CST in Miami, Fla. Each of WKU's previous four losses has been followed by a victory this season.
NOTES:
Orlando Mendez-Valdez was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week prior to the start of the game at Mississippi State, becoming WKU's 44th selection in their 26-year affiliation with the league
The 47 first-half points scored by Mississippi State is the most the Bulldogs have scored in the opening period this season verus a Division I foe
WKU falls to 23-30 all-time against the 12 current members of the Southeastern Conference (1-1 this season)
WKU falls to 9-16 all-time on the road agaqinst the SEC
MSU improves to 68-13 against Sun Belt Conference opponents
WKU entered the game as the only Sun Belt school with a .500 record or better against the Bulldogs
WKU falls to 2-3 all-time against Mississippi State
WKU falls to 8-4 in televised games this year
MSU improves to 10-0 this season when leading at the half (175-25 under Rick Stansbury all-time)
MSU improves to 70-10 against non-conference opponents in 11 seasons under Stansbury
WKU entered the game ranked 45th in the latest RPI ratings; Mississippi State was 160th
WKU had three or more players in double figures for the 10th time in 14 games this season
Tonight's game at Mississippi State continues a stretch of five games in 10 days for the Hilltoppers
Tonight's game at Mississippi State starts a three-game road swing, the final portion of seven out of 10 games being played away from Diddle Arena
Career-high 26 for Ravern Johnson (previous high was 21)
Mendez-Valdez has 269 career assists and is now just eight behind Kevin Dildy (1979-82) for 10th all-time on the WKU career list
Junior forward Jeremy Evans blocked two shots to tie Darius Hall (1992-95) for fourth on the career blocked shots list at 125
Evans recorded his second double double of the season and the seventh of his career with 19 points and 10 rebounds
Steffphon Pettigrew scored 13, his third-straight double-figure game, and eighth of the season
AJ Slaughter's 18 points gave him his sixth-straight double figure scoring performance, the longest stretch of his career; he has registered double figures in 10 of 11 games played this season
QUOTES:
WKU Head Coach Ken McDonald
Opening comments:
"I think our defense was a major factor in how we started off. I don’t think on the road you can go out and allow a team to throw that knockout punch and they threw a knockout punch early. We talked a little bit about how we wanted to be aggressive and make them work for shots and I don’t think we did that in the first four to six minutes and they capitalized on it. They were terrific. I mean they made shots but you look back and you hope that you would have played a little better defense, make them work a little more and see what would have happened. I think confidence in the first six minutes of this game was huge."
On foul issues:
“A little bit of foul issues and a little bit of fatigue and some trying something different to be honest. Our defense just wasn’t there. We didn’t play with the energy that we need to and the energy that we have shown at times when we are really good. I mean we are coming off a game where we defended really hard. So, a little disappointed in that and trying different things during the game to try and spark a different mentality. Nothing worked tonight. They capitalized and shot great and had that confidence throughout the game."
On effort:
“I thought we fought a little bit from probably the fifteen minute mark in the second half down to about the last four minutes. I thought we tried but it was just too little, too late against a good basketball team and it just was not going to happen and even with fighting back and I think getting it down to 14 and you could just see there confidence at the end shot clock and they made some shots and I think that once again goes back to the beginning of the game. We did have a little energy in the second half."
WKU junior guard AJ Slaugher (#4)
On what you can take from this game:
"You can’t come out on the road and let a team get up by 20 points. It’s hard to come back from a deficit like that. I came out and made two stupid fouls. I have to play smarter than that and not put my team in that situation.”
WKU junior forward Jeremy Evans (#40)
On responding to coach's half-time challenge:
"Coach challenges us every night. He challenges us to come out and be aggressive. I think I did well with that tonight, but I still have a long way to go."
