Field Level Media
Jan 14, 2020
Reggie Perry registered 23 points and 10 rebounds, and Tyson Carter chipped in 15 points and seven assists to boost Mississippi State past Missouri 72-45 on Tuesday night in Starkville, Miss., for its first Southeastern Conference victory of the season.
After losing their first three SEC games over an eight-day span at the start of January, the Bulldogs rebounded with a 54.5 percent shooting effort and led by as many as 32 points against the Tigers, who were coming off a 91-75 win against Florida on Saturday.
Perry helped Mississippi State build and maintain separation with his conference-leading ninth double-double of the season. The 6-foot-10, 250-pound sophomore has 18 career double-doubles.
Kobe Brown led Missouri with 14 points and matched Dru Smith for the team lead with four rebounds. Javon Pickett followed with nine points for the Tigers, who struggled to 34.7 percent shooting, including 20 percent from 3-point range.
Nick Weatherspoon added 11 points for the Bulldogs while Carter, playing on his 22nd birthday, chipped in seven assists.
The Bulldogs raced to a 40-20 halftime lead behind 60.7 percent shooting from the field, paced by a 5-for-8, 12-point effort from Perry. Mississippi State led by as many as 21 in the first half and was bolstered by a 16-3 run over the game's first 8:03.
Missouri, which shot 8-for-23 (34.8 percent) in the first half, already trailed 10-0 by the time of its first field goal, a trey from Brown at the 15:06 mark.
The Tigers missed 10 of their next 11 attempts from deep after that while struggling to move the ball to create good looks from anywhere on the floor. Missouri committed 13 first-half turnovers compared to seven for Mississippi State, which also blocked four Tigers shots before the break.
Bulldogs coach Ben Howland improved to 6-1 against Missouri in his career, which includes a 5-1 mark at Mississippi State.
The teams are set to conclude the season series on Feb. 29 at Missouri.
--Field Level Media