East Tennessee State tip-in sinks Mississippi State, 67-65 (Dec 14, 2016)

By AP
Published

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) East Tennessee State's Hanner Mosquera-Perea tipped in the game-winning bucket with 1.4 seconds left as the Bucs defeated Mississippi State 67-65 on Wednesday night.

�Mississippi State's Lamar Peters sank a 3-pointer to tie the game at 65-65 with 10.9 seconds left. But the last-second put back gave the Bucs their sixth win in the last seven games.

''I saw the opportunity to come back and help my team win the game,'' said Mosquera-Perea. ''Coach tells us to never give up and we didn't. We knew we had to box out and get the rebound. That's what we did.''

�Desonta Bradford led East Tennessee State with 15 points while T.J. Cromer added 14.�

''I thought we played a complete game and we didn't do that Saturday against Dayton,'' said East Tennessee State head coach Steve Forbes. ''Mississippi State is young and talented and we knew it would be tough because they are so athletic. But for the most part we were pretty settled most of the game and weathered that storm.''

�Aric Holman led Mississippi State with 17 points and was one of four Bulldogs in double digits. Mississippi State's leading scorer, Quinndary Weatherspoon, was just 3 of 14 from the floor and finished with 13 points. Mario Kegler had 12 and Peters had 10 for the Bulldogs.

�''Obviously it's a tough loss against what I think is a very good team,'' said Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland. ''They are a tough team and a veteran team. I was disappointed in the first half with our transition defense. I tried to make it really clear how good this team is and we were a step slow to start the first half. We just have to get better guarding the ball and staying in front, defensively.''

Mississippi State (6-3) jumped to an 8-2 lead before the visiting Bucs went on a hot streak. East Tennessee State went on a 12-4 run midway through the first half and took a 29-21 lead with 8:15 left in the half.�

The Bucs (8-2) shot 48.1 percent in the first half and led 31-26 at the break. ETSU also held a 20-14 advantage on the boards and outscored the Bulldogs 20-12 in the paint in the first half.

BIG PICTURE

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs travel to Jackson on Monday to face in-state foe Southern Miss at the Mississippi Coliseum.

�East Tennessee State: The Bucs finish off a three-game road swing at Morehead State on Saturday.

�UP NEXT

Mississippi State: Quinndary Weatherspoon has averaged 16 points in his last three games and since returning from a wrist injury.

�East Tennessee State: The Bucs have now won three straight games against Mississippi State, including two straight in Starkville