KSU’s men’s basketball team proved to be a formidable challenger against SEC opponent Mississippi State Thursday despite a 78-55 loss.
It was the tale of two halves for KSU, as the Owls came out early in the game going shot- for-shot with the SEC giants by making 54 percent of their shots from the field. Led by sophomore Yonel Brown, KSU established a four point lead with 11:28 remaining in the first half. Brown sunk three 3-pointers while going 5-9 from the field, finishing with a team and career-high 15 points. He would also record seven assists, a block and a steal.
The Owls defense stayed busy early on, holding the Bulldogs to only 40 percent from the field in the first half and came down with 13 defensive boards.
The Bulldogs would regain the lead with 8:33 left in the half but were only able to establish a seven point difference as their largest lead. After a 3-pointer by Brown with 28 seconds left, the Owls entered halftime down by four at 35-31.
The second half proved to be KSU’s demise as the Bulldogs forced 14 turnovers and held the Owls to 35 percent from the field. MSU only coughed up the ball six times and shot 54 percent. “In the second we came out more stagnant and had too many turnovers,” Head Coach Lewis Preston said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re at home or on the road, 26 turnovers is not going to put you in position to win. That put them in position to get us in transition and finish baskets.”
KSU stuck around as long as they could in the second half as MSU didn’t reach a double-digit lead until the 11:07 mark. After a Delbert Love 3-pointer and a Kris Drees jumper in the paint KSU cut the lead to eight with 10 minutes to go.
The Bulldogs then poured it on offensively with Fred Thomas leading the way scoring with 17 points and Colin Borchert with 15. MSU would finish with five players in double-digits. The contest would finish 78-55. KSU was tied in the rebound category with MSU at 33. The Owls have yet to be out- rebounded in a game this season while facing steep competition, perhaps a silver lining in the tough loss. KSU also had 14 assists on 20 buckets; however they only attempted 17 free throws compared to MSU’s 25 attempted. The bench provided 15 points for KSU and the team finished with 24 points in the paint.
