STARKVILLE — While the only statistic that counts is the final score, Mississippi State men’s basketball coach Ben Howland had to search the stat sheet a while for a number he liked after his team’s 64-59 victory against Tennessee Saturday afternoon in a Southeastern Conference game at Humphrey Coliseum.
“We had 21 offensive rebounds,” Howland said. “That is really a stunning number. That is one of those measures of how hard you work. In the second half, we had 13 offensive rebounds. That is an excellent number. It’s 55 overall rebounds. You can win a lot of games when you are limiting your opponents that much.”
With one of the nation’s youngest teams, this season hasn’t been about style points or NCAA tournament resumes. Instead, the focus has been on the moment and getting better as a team on a weekly basis.
Rallying from a 19-point deficit in the first half and an 18-point hole in the second was pleasing for the second-year coach.
“It shows you are committed to what you are doing,” Howland said. “We have been down a lot here lately and the kids didn’t give up. The huddle was always encouraging. Just fighting hard, rebounding, defending. Doing the things you can do regardless of your shooting percentage.”
Schnider Herard had 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds (seven offensive). Herard was 8 of 14 at the free-throw line. Xavian Stapleton played a season-high 26 minutes and had season-highs in points (14), rebounds (11), and steals (four). Stapleton also had a key blocked shot with his team leading 54-53 with four minutes left.
Mario Kegler and Quinndary Weatherspoon had nine rebounds.
Double the double-double
It was the first time this season the Bulldogs had two double-doubles in the same game. Herard (12 points, 15 rebounds) had his second of the season, while Stapleton (14 points, 11 rebounds) had his first.
“Xavian is happy again,” Howland said. “You are talking about a young man who lost about 20 months of playing basketball because of two ACL injuries. He has to come back slowly. You are beginning to see what he is capable of doing, when he has a lot of minutes.”
The Bulldogs only had three double-doubles as a team entering the game. Kegler had a career-high 17 points and nine rebounds.
Missing Ready
Howland didn’t have an update on senior guard I.J. Ready, who missed his second-straight game with a calf injury he suffered last Saturday warming up prior to the game against Alabama. Ready played two minutes against Alabama, but he missed the game Tuesday at Ole Miss. Ready watched Saturday in street clothes on the bench.
“He will see the doctor again Monday and we will see what he can do and hopefully find out more about when he will be available,” Howland said.
The Bulldogs also had to limit Lamar Peters during the win. Peters re-aggravated a hip pointer that sent him out of the Ole Miss game early in the second half.
Howland said trainers would check on Peters on Saturday night, and that his practice time would be limited prior to the game against Auburn on Tuesday night.
Kegler and Stapleton helped key the comeback. Quinndary Weatherspoon (seven points) and Lamar Peters (four points) were held to their lowest point totals in a conference game this season.
“We miss I.J. a lot,” Kegler said. “I think we did a much better job of playing without him, though. It was really our third game without him, so we now have a comfort level of some of the other things we have to do win a game.”
Quality win
The win was MSU’s second against a top 40-RPI opponent. According to RealTimeRPI.com, MSU entered the game at No. 119. Tennessee entered at No. 36.
Earlier this season, MSU won 84-78 at No. 28 Arkansas.
While the Bulldogs hopes for an NCAA tournament berth will most likely require a SEC tournament championship. Their hopes for an National Invitation Tournament bid go up tremendously if they can could climb into the top 80 and remain in the top half of the conference standings.
Noteworthy
MSU matched last season’s win total with the victory, … Kegler topped 200 points for the season. … The Bulldogs moved into a tie with Ole Miss and Tennessee for sixth place in the conference standings. … MSU last beat Tennessee at home in 2012 (three-straight losses). … MSU will play at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Auburn. The game will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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