Courtesy: Associated Press Bulldog Jarvis Varnado blocks a shot by Vanderbilt's Jeffery Taylor Saturday. Varnado had 11 points nine rebounds, and six blocks on the day. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Mississippi State turned real defensive in its Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament title defense Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs throttled the high-powered Vanderbilt offensive attack, eliminating the 23rd-ranked Commodores 62-52 in a tournament semifinal game at Bridgestone Arena.
On Sunday, MSU (23-10) will face No. 2 Kentucky (31-2) in a showdown for the conference tournament championship. Tip-off is set for noon CT and the game will be shown nationally by ABC. The conference tournament held true to form with the two division champions meeting in the title match. If the regular season is any indication, the contest should be good. Kentucky won 81-75 in overtime in Starkville when the teams met in the regular season.
Coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs have now won six straight tournament games for the first time in school history. The Bulldogs won all four games they played in last year's event, including taking down Tennessee 64-61 in the title match. MSU is playing in its fourth conference title game under Stansbury, having won two of the past three. The Bulldogs are 3-1 in conference title game since the tournament was reinstated in 1979.
"What makes this special for us is that we just beat a very good basketball team," Stansbury said. "I thought defensively our team did some things about as well as you could. Offensively, we were sharing the ball. We made plays when we had to make plays."
The Bulldogs won Saturday with one of their best defensive efforts of the year. Vanderbilt (24-8) won the regular season meeting, 75-72, also in Nashville. This time, the Bulldogs held the Commodores to 26 points below their seasonal average. VU only shot 34.6 percent from the field, 13 percentage points below its average.
Jarvis Varnado again led the defensive effort. In his individual matchup with VU junior center A.J. Ogilvy, Varnado limited Ogilvy to two points and without a field goal for the first time in his career. Varnado had six blocked shots Saturday and now has had at least one block in 50 straight games.
For a second straight day, the Bulldogs started on fire from long range. MSU hit four 3-point baskets in the opening seven minutes of play. The Bulldogs used a 19-8 run to erase an early five-point deficit. The Bulldogs hit 4-of-14 shots from 3-point range and eased into a 33-27 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Bulldogs used a 9-0 run fueled by two baskets by both Kodi Augustus and Dee Bost to open up a 44-29 advantage with 17:13 left. However, the Commodores would later the Bulldogs four minutes without a field goal and used a 13-2 run to climb back into the contest.
VU closed within 51-48 with 5:38 left. A fast-break layup by Ravern Johnson slammed the door on the Commodores as it sent MSU on a 10-1 game-deciding run.
"I don't know what it is about this team," said Barry Stewart, who led the Bulldogs in scoring with 14 points. "However, for two years now, when we have our backs against the wall, we are at our best."
For the contest, the Bulldogs hit 22 of 56 shots from the field (39.3 percent), 6 of 22 shots from 3-point range (27.3 percent) and 12 of 20 shots from the foul line (60.0 percent). The Commodores hit 18 of 52 shots from the field (34.6 percent), 6 of 12 shots from 3-point range (50.0 percent) and 10 of 17 shots from the foul line (57.8 percent).
The teams were even at 37 on the boards. MSU had seven assists and nine turnovers, while VU had 11 assists and 11 turnovers. MSU also set a new single season school record with 300 3-point baskets after Saturday's six makes.
Johnson, Phil Turner and Varnado joined Stewart in double figures - each with 11 points.
Jermaine Beal was the lone Commodore in double figures with 11 points.
Courtesy: Associated Press
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