Field Level Media
Aug 25, 2012
Mississippi State junior guard Tyson Carter scored a season-high 22 points as the Bulldogs matched their longest Southeastern Conference winning streak in 11 years with a 68-49 win over Missouri on Tuesday night in Starkville, Miss.
The Bulldogs (21-7, 9-6 SEC) have won five consecutive conference games, which they last accomplished in January 2008.
Missouri (12-15, 3-12) shot 32.7 percent from the floor, was held to its season-low scoring total and lost its fourth game in a row.
The Tigers, who trailed by 15 points in the first half, got within five points on four occasions in the second half, including at 47-42 before Carter hit a 3-pointer with 7:58 to go. After a Missouri basket made it 50-44, Carter drained another shot from behind the arc to ignite a 12-0 run.
Carter made 7 of 12 field-goal attempts, including 4 of 8 from beyond the arc. Quinndary Weatherspoon scored 20 for Mississippi State while Reggie Perry had 15 points and nine rebounds. Abdul Ado blocked five shots.
Torrence Watson led Missouri with 12 points.
Missouri forward Jeremiah Tilmon, who gestured with a finger toward the Florida student section after fouling out Saturday in a Tigers loss at Gainesville, Fla., did not start for the first time this season in a game in which he played.
Tilmon entered with 14:07 left in the first half and finished with 11 points before fouling out with 2:12 to go.
Missouri, which entered last in the SEC in scoring at 67.3 points per game, fell behind 27-12 with 6:46 left in the first half.
But then Mississippi State went cold, failing to make a basket in the final 5:50 before the break. The Bulldogs took a 33-26 lead into halftime as Carter hit two free throws after being fouled on a long 3-point attempt with 2.3 seconds left in the half.
Mississippi State guard Nick Weatherspoon (9.6 points per game) missed his fourth consecutive game after being suspended for a violation of team rules on Feb. 16.
Earlier Tuesday, Missouri announced that guard Mark Smith would undergo surgery on his left foot and miss the remainder of the season. The sophomore averaged 11.4 points and 5.2 rebounds this season, shooting 45 percent from 3-point range, in 19 games.
--Field Level Media