Alabama
15-13,7-8SEC
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Mississippi State
18-10,9-6SEC
Alabama Falls in Back-and-Forth Battle to Mississippi State, 80-73
2/25/2020 10:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Kira Lewis Jr. led the Crimson Tide with 29 points
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Alabama men's basketball team fell short in a hard-fought match-up against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, 80-73, in Humphrey Coliseum Tuesday night.
The Crimson Tide (15-13, 7-8 SEC) played most of the contest short-handed as junior guard John Petty Jr., injured his right arm just nine minutes into the contest and did not return. The SEC's leading three-point shooter, Petty made an instant impact before exiting as he scored eight points, including a pair of three-pointers, prior to suffering the injury.
The contest featured 16 lead changes and four ties throughout the opening half alone before trailing by one possession at the break, 41-39. Mississippi State would maintain that lead throughout the remainder of the game.
The Crimson Tide was led by the performance of sophomore guard Kira Lewis Jr., who finished with a game-high 29 points to go along with seven rebounds and a team-leading assists. Freshman Jaden Shackelford added 17 points and a career-high 9 rebounds, including five offensive boards, while graduate student Beetle Bolden added 11 points in 33 minutes of action.
Mississippi State (18-10, 9-6 SEC) was led by Reggie Perry who scored 21 points and collected a game-high 12 rebounds, while Tyson Carter added 19 points and five assists.
Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments
"That was tough loss. (Mississippi State) is playing hard and playing well. That's a good team. We knew it was going to be a tough game. I thought our guys fought hard, especially in the second half. We missed some layups, free throws and some wide-open threes we needed to knock down, especially with Petty not being out there on the floor. We needed to make some plays and weren't able to. I am proud of the fight. I thought Beetle played hard and Kira had a great game. It just wasn't quite enough to beat a team as talented as Mississippi State in their gym tonight."
Team Stats
- With the loss, the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs split the season series (Alabama defeated Mississippi State, 90-69, on Jan. 8 in Tuscaloosa)
- Lewis reached the 20-point mark for the ninth time this season and his 26th time reaching double figures, both marks lead the team
- There were 16 lead changes throughout the game, all within the first half, and six lead changes throughout the contest
- Before exiting the contest, Petty became the fifth player in program history to reach 600 threes attempted for his career (602)
- The Tide had 17 offensive rebounds compared to eight by Mississippi State, however, UA had only a 12-10 edge in second chance points on the night
- The contest marked the 203rd meeting between the two teams which is the most games played against any single opponent in program history (Alabama leads the series, 126-77)
First Half
- A driving lay-up by Jaden Shackelford gave the Tide a 7-4 lead entering the first media timeout of the half at the 15:59 mark
- Both squads entered a back-and-forth battle as Mississippi State earned a one-point, 17-16, advantage with 11:45 left until halftime
- With 14 lead changes and three ties in the first 12 minutes, the Bulldogs led 28-27 with 7:34 left to play in the half
- A Lewis three-pointer capped a 7-0 run over a span of 2:22 and gave the Crimson Tide a 34-28 lead with 5:02 left in the opening half
- Lewis drilled the Tide's eighth three of the half to give Alabama a 37-34 lead entering the final media timeout with 2:24 left
- Mississippi State would regain a one-possession lead, ending the half ahead 41-39
- Lewis led Alabama with 13 first half points on 5-of-6 shooting, while Bolden contributed 10
Second Half
- The Bulldogs scored on their first six possessions to open the second half with a 12-6 run earning the largest lead of the game, 53-45, with 16:18 remaining
- Alabama responded with a 6-0 run over the course of the next 3:35, trimming the deficit to four, 55-51, with 12:23 left to play
- With MSU leading 59-53, another 6-0 run from the Tide evened the game 59-59 with 8:58 remaining
- Mississippi State outscored Alabama 12-3 over the next 4:16 to grab a 71-62 lead with 4:42 on the clock
- Five quick points from the Tide made it 71-67 with 3:35 left in the contest
- The Bulldogs would close out the game at the free throw line to seal win
The Tide returns home Saturday night as it hosts South Carolina in Coleman Coliseum. Tip off will be at 7:30 p.m. CT and will be available to watch on SEC Network.
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