OXFORD — Mississippi State men’s basketball coach Ben Howland is well aware of the youth movement going on with his basketball team.
Reggie Perry and Robert Woodard II acquitted themselves well again in No. 22 MSU’s 81-75 victory against Ole Miss on Saturday at The Pavilion at Ole Miss.
“The minutes by the freshmen were huge,” Howland said. “They are coming into their own as valuable contributors in the Southeastern Conference.”
MSU improved to 16-5 and 4-4 in league play, while Ole Miss fell to 14-7 and 4-4.
“A huge win for our basketball team, our best win of the year,” Howland said. “It’s a big win in the NET (entering the game MSU was No. 27 and Ole Miss was No. 38). Ole Miss has a great basketball game. We defended more aggressively and really made some big shots.”
The Bulldogs had two changes to the starting lineup, with Perry earning his fifth career start in place of Aric Holman. Tyson Carter replaced Nick Weatherspoon, who was injured Tuesday in a loss at Alabama.
Nick Weatherspoon came off the bench to play 26 minutes.
“With Aric, we just felt like we needed to not start him for a game,” Howland said. “He has been pressing too hard. I guarantee you Aric took it the right way. He is probably the happiest man in our locker room now because we won. Aric Holman will be a big part of any success this team has this season.”
Perry set a career-high with 21 points and had 11 rebounds for his second double-double in three games.
Woodard II scored nine points and had three rebounds in 20 minutes.
“After 20 games, we know what to expect,” said Quinndary Weatherspoon, who led the Bulldogs with 27 points. “They are going to come in play hard and do everything the right way. You forget they are freshmen this late in the year.”
Ole Miss not pressing
While Ole Miss lost for the fifth time in six games, coach Kermit Davis isn’t ready to push the panic button.
“I don’t like downward spiral, freshman wall, really any of that kind of stuff,” Davis said. “You are playing games in a tough conference. You simply have to play a little better. In our case, you have to play a little tougher. It just looked like we weren’t tough enough.
“They really hit us in the mouth early in the game and we didn’t respond. That’s discouraging. Are we the same team, we were when we were 3-0 in the SEC? Yes. We need to play like that team.”
Ole Miss entered the national rankings after that 3-0 start, However, the Rebels have not lost three-straight home games — to LSU, Iowa State, and MSU.
Terence Davis led the Rebels with 15 points. He knows the team is lacking confidence. He also needs things can switch quickly in this league.
“The effort wasn’t where it needed to be to win this game,” Davis said. “When we look at the film, we will see the plays that were there to be made, that we didn’t make. There is still a lot of season left. We just have to get back to making those plays.”
Ole Miss will play host to Texas A&M on Wednesday night.
Tough stretch
Howland called this two-week stretch the murderer’s row of the MSU schedule.
After failing to convert in the final minutes of a game at Alabama, MSU turned the tide and gained a season split with Ole Miss.
MSU will try to build on the victory Wednesday when it plays host to No. 19 LSU. It will play host to No.7 Kentucky on Saturday. Both of those teams are in top 16 of the NET, as well as second and third in the league standings.
“This is just a murderer’s row,” Howland said. “We just need to stack wins when we can because that is how you become an NCAA tournament team. Road wins always give you more margin for error. For this team to win here, it helps our cause. It’s our best win of the season.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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