STARKVILLE — Sophomore Xavian Stapleton wanted to bring energy to the Mississippi State men’s basketball team.
Turns out the Bulldogs also needed the points, rebounds, and steals the Louisiana Tech transfer provided.
Stapleton’s first career double-double, coupled with his passion on defense, helped MSU erase a 19-point deficit and earn a 64-59 victory against Tennessee in a Southeastern Conference game before a crowd of 7,581 at Humphrey Coliseum.
“I saw my team dying out there,” Stapleton said. “I wasn’t really worried about scoring. That wasn’t my job. My job was to bring some energy and to bring some passion to the game. I really wanted to get this team going. We needed some energy.”
MSU improved to 14-8 and 5-5 in league play. The Bulldogs snapped a two-game losing streak and moved back into the upper division of the conference standings by staging their biggest comeback since 2002.
“I am really proud of how we found a way to win the game,” MSU coach Ben Howland said. “Really we played well defensively the whole game. Our offense was anemic in the first half. In the second half, we drove to the goal and attacked more. That was the difference in the game.”
Lamar Peters and Quinndary Weatherspoon entered the game averaging 29.8 points per game. They were held to 11 points on 4-of-26 shooting from the field. Neither scored from the field in the first 28 minutes.
With I.J. Ready missing his second-straight game with a calf injury and neither Peters nor Weatherspoon finding the scoring touch, Stapleton found himself having to do even more.
The end result was 14 points, 11 rebounds, and four steals (all season highs) in 26 minutes. It also meant a post-game hug from his coach and a network television interview.
“Coach told me how proud he was of me and how this is what I can add to this team,” Stapleton said. “We really had to have someone step up and make shots. This was a great team win, and I am glad I could help us get some things together.”
The Bulldogs missed 12 of their first 13 shots and trailed 17-2 less than eight minutes in. From there, foul trouble bogged down the fight back
Tennessee shot 14 first-half free throws and led 33-21 at halftime. While the offensive flow was nowhere near Tennessee’s 91-74 victory in Knoxville, Tennessee, the Volunteers still had to like their chances.
“Credit to Mississippi State. They were the much more aggressive team in the second half,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “Their guards are usually dominant and we were able to hold them down. Late in the game, when we needed to make plays, we didn’t do it.”
The Bulldogs shot 19 3-pointers in the first half. Howland begged his team to go inside more, which the Bulldogs did in the second half. As a esult, Schnider Herard took over. He missed his first six free throws but finished 8 of 14 at the line. The freshman forward also had 12 points and a season-high 15 rebounds. Herard had seven of the Bulldogs’ 21 offensive rebounds.
“That was the point at halftime,” Herard said. “Coach told us we could win the game if we rebounded the ball better. I took that to heart. We wanted to prove that we were the tougher team in the second half. Even though the shots weren’t falling, we did things on defense.”
The Bulldogs’ margin for error was non-existent down the stretch. With 17 minutes, 50 seconds left, Tennessee led 41-23. The near-capacity crowd hung tough and hoped for a spark.
Three-straight baskets by Stapleton had the Bulldogs back within 43-34. Down by 11, the Bulldogs scored eight-straight points, including a dunk by Weatherspoon that got him in the field goal column and his team back within three.
Stapleton drained a 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs their first lead, 54-53, with 4:22 left. On the next possession, Stapleton had a block and a key offensive rebound, which fed Mario Kegler for another 3-pointer and a 57-53 lead.
“Xavian’s offensive rebound was the biggest play of the game,” Howland said. “The block on the defensive end (on a layup attempt) may have been the biggest defensive play of the game. He was everywhere.”
Kegler, a freshman guard from Jackson, had a career-high 17 points. He was 4 of 6 from 3-point range.
“I have been waiting for this kind of game since I came out of the womb,” said Kegler, as he cracked a big post-game grin. “This team really needed a win like this. It can help us a lot.”
Howland thought Kegler could be on the verge of a special game.
“When we were down 19, he was in the huddle saying ‘Guys, we can win this game’,” Howland said. “When you have players believe that, you don’t know how important that is.”
The Bulldogs finished with a 55-45 rebounding advantage and overcame 16 missed free throws. Howland stressed his team’s ability to get to the line 31 times being as important as the end result.
Jordan Bone led Tennessee with 13 points, while Grant Williams had 11. The Volunteers finished with their lowest point total in a game this season.
The victory against MSU in Knoxville started a four-game winning streak for the Volunteers. After beating MSU, Tennessee beat Kentucky.
“Hopefully, we can do the same thing,” Stapleton said. “It’s time for us to go on a run.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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