Fans See First Glimpse Of 2009-10 Mississippi State Basketball Bulldogs

- Official Statistics

STARKVILLE, Miss. - For the first time this season, fans got a glimpse of Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs, as an estimated crowd of 1,800 made their way to Humphrey Coliseum Saturday to watch Mississippi State's scrimmage.

And they didn't leave disappointed.

All-SEC standout Jarvis Varnado showed early why he's an All-American candidate, as the senior forward led all scorers with 33 points to go along with his 15 rebounds, 5 blocks and 5 assists.

Sophomore Romero Osby made perhaps the biggest statement on the day, scoring 31 combined points on 9-of-11 shooting. He also grabbed 7 rebounds, was a perfect 5-of-5 from behind the arc and registered 3 steals.

Junior standout Phil Turner added 30 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, while true freshman Renardo Sidney scored 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting, in addition to his 3 assists and 2 steals. Dee Bost, a Freshman All-SEC performer a year ago, dished out 11 assists and collected six steals.

"I like all the young guys," MSU coach Rick Stansbury said. "They all worked real hard out there, and they all made some plays. The teams were going real hard and knocking each other around. I liked what I saw in the effort the guys put out today."

Wendell Lewis made his unofficial Maroon and White debut in style. And while his White team lost to the Maroon squad 122-88 in 52 minutes of play (two 20-minute halfs and in 12-minute half), he managed 7 points and tied Kodi Augustus with a team-high 11 rebounds, including six on the offensive end.

The game was a close one throughout. A backdoor pass from Turner to Osby for a slam-dunk with 7:33 left put the Maroon team ahead, which the team stretched to as much as 12 before White began its comeback.

The White team reeled off a 7-1 run in the final minute to close within three. After several Maroon turnovers, Bost brought the ball down for White with just 9 seconds remaining. After struggling to find a shot, he launched the game-tying attempt but it missed short and Maroon took the win.

The second round of 20 minutes heavily favored the Maroon squad, as the team outscored its opponent 51-21 in the half to claim the 86-56 victory. Osby continued his impressive performance on the day, scoring 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting and a perfect 4-of-4 mark from behind the stripe.

Turner also had a big half, scoring 12 points and claiming a team-high four rebounds for the Maroon. The squad's point guard, Bost, handed out seven assists. Junior Kodi Augustus and highly-touted freshman Renardo Sidney each led the White team with six points while Augustus added five rebounds as well.

The 12-minute round was back-and-forth throughout, until Sidney sank a three with 56 seconds remaining. He then grabbed two-straight rebounds and drained a free throw to secure the win for the Maroon squad.

Mississippi State's two-game exhibition slate begins with a visit from Oklahoma City on Saturday, Oct. 31. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. and admission is free.