Mississippi State tops LSU to snap 7-game skid (Mar 04, 2017)
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) Quinndary Weatherspoon had 18 points as Mississippi State snapped a seven-game losing streak with an 88-76 win over LSU on Saturday.
Weatherspoon was 8 of 11 from the field and led a balanced scoring attack for the Bulldogs. Aric Holman and Xavian Stapleton each had 14 points for Mississippi State (15-15 overall, 6-12 SEC) in the regular-season finale.
Skylar Mays and Antonio Blakeney had 15 points apiece to lead LSU (10-20, 2-16) and pace five Tigers in double digits. Brandon Sampson had 14 for LSU while Duop Reath and Aaron Epps had 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Both teams traded the lead in the opening minutes before Mississippi State grabbed control midway through the first half. The Bulldogs led 21-11 after an Eli Wright 3-pointer and maintained a double-digit lead for most of the first half.
Tyson Carter drained a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer and the Bulldogs led 48-30 at halftime. The Bulldogs shot 57 percent in the first half and LSU struggled at 37 percent.
BIG PICTURE
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs entered the regular-season finale on a seven-game losing streak, the longest under Ben Howland.
LSU: Earlier this week the Tigers snapped a school-record 15-game losing streak with a win over Tennessee. But now the Tigers enter the SEC tournament having lost 16 of their previous 17 league games.
UP NEXT
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs open the SEC tournament Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn. They'll face LSU for the third time this season.
LSU: The Tigers get Mississippi State again in four days and face the Bulldogs in the first round of the SEC tournament Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn.
