Vanderbilt Commodores vs Mississippi State Bulldogs Match Player Stats On Feb 08, 2020

Mississippi State started the second half with a 14-2 run Saturday night, enabling it to take control on its way to an 80-70 Southeastern Conference win over visiting Vanderbilt at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Miss.

Forward Reggie Perry paced the Bulldogs (15-8, 6-4 SEC) with 25 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, notching his 13th double-double of the season.

Nick Weatherspoon added 21 points on 8-for-9 shooting from the field, while Tyson Carter scored 16 as Mississippi State hit 62.5 percent of its field goals after halftime.

Saben Lee led Vanderbilt (9-14, 1-9) with 20 points, while Ejike Obinna scored 12 and Jordan Wright came off the bench to add 11 points and seven rebounds. But the Commodores made just 10 of 31 field-goal tries (32.3 percent) in the second half, including 4 of 13 from the 3-point line.

Down by four as the second half started, Mississippi State hit Vanderbilt with the big spurt. Perry capped it with five points in four seconds, canning a 3-pointer and then making two free throws after Commodores coach Jerry Stackhouse drew a technical at the 16:36 mark.

Vanderbilt edged within 72-66 with 2:48 left on a 3-pointer by Lee, but couldn't string together enough key stops down the stretch.

Mississippi State controlled the initial part of the first half, opening up a 12-5 lead at the 14:01 mark on Perry's 3-point play. Perry helped maintain a modest lead for the Bulldogs during the half's remainder, finishing with 10 points and five rebounds.

Playing with confidence after its stunning upset of SEC co-leader LSU Wednesday night, Vanderbilt stayed in contact. Although it couldn't find the range from 3-point range, going just 2-for-11 in the opening half, the Commodores still canned nearly 50 percent from the field (13-for-27).

Vanderbilt stole the momentum and the lead in the half's final 3 1/2 minutes, ripping off 12 straight points as Lee collected a pair of transition layups and canned a pair of free throws. Although Carter's bucket with four seconds remaining ended the Commodores' run, they still led 35-31 at the break.

--Field Level Media