Bulldogs drop last contest at Hawaii

Special to the Dispatch

December 26, 2010 12:29:00 AM

HONOLULU, HI -- Kodi Augustus recorded his sixth double-double of the year and Jalen Steele had a career-high 14 points.

Hawaii, however, jumped out to a 12-0 lead and never looked back en route to posting a 68-57 victory on Saturday in the fifth-place game of the Diamond Head Classic.

The Rainbow Warriors (9-3) led by as many as 22 points in the second frame at 51-29 before the Bulldogs put together a late run to close the deficit.

MSU, playing without suspended forwards Elgin Bailey and Renardo Sidney, now stand at 8-5 on the year and leaves for Las Vegas on Monday morning to face St. Mary''s on Dec. 29 in the Shamrock Shootout.

And because of the absence of Sidney and Bailey, sophomore Wendell Lewis was inserted into the lineup for the first time in his career.

"Emotionally, we just weren''t there," 13-year MSU coach Rick Stansbury said. "But we''re not going to use that as an excuse. I did like the way we battled back in the second half and didn''t quit.

"You know, we missed just too many shots. Wide open shots. But give Hawaii a lot of credit. They made plays and took advantage of us inside."

The Warriors scored 30 points in the paint and were led overall by Zane Johnson''s 19 points, followed by Hiram Thompson at 14.

Overall, MSU was 17-of-63 shooting. Ravern Johnson, who poured in 12 points, hit four of his 17 shots and drained two 3-pointers after not making any for the first time this season on Thursday against San Diego.

Hawaii was 23 of 52 and 6 of 24 from long range.

"We aren''t going to make any excuses," said Augustus, who hauled in 11 rebounds. "We just didn''t play like we are supposed to. We''ve just got to bounce back."

n Mississippi State 69, San Diego 52: On Thursday, Renardo Sidney''s 19-point effort led the Bulldogs in the second round of the Diamond Head Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Ravern Johnson, who had totaled just 15 points combined in the previous two games, poured in 18, while Kodi Augustus added 13 to go along with his 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the year.

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