Mississippi State beats South Carolina 72-68 in OT

(Source: WIS)
(Source: WIS)
Updated: Feb. 24, 2018 at 6:37 PM EST
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By PAUL JONES
Associated Press

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - Lamar Peters had 19 points, including five in overtime, to lead Mississippi State past South Carolina 72-68 on Saturday.

Tyson Carter and Quinndary Weatherspoon had 13 points apiece for Mississippi State (21-8, 9-7 SEC). Nick Weatherspoon also had 10 points for the Bulldogs before fouling out in the second half. Quinndary Weatherspoon hit two free throws with 6.8 seconds left in overtime to clinch the win for Mississippi State.

Hassani Gravett had 19 points to lead South Carolina (15-14, 6-10) and added five assists and four steals. Gravett's 3-pointer at the end of the second half sent the game into overtime. Chris Silva had 11 points and 12 boards despite battling foul trouble. Maik Kotsaw and Felipe Haase also had 11 points for South Carolina.

The visiting Gamecocks jumped on Mississippi State early and held an 11-2 advantage in the game's opening six minutes. South Carolina stretched the lead to 13 points with 6:07 remaining in the first half.

Mississippi State responded with an 11-2 run to close the deficit to 26-22. Gravett, however, sank back-to-back 3 pointers for the Gamecocks to push the lead back to 32-22. Mississippi State's Tyson Carter responded with a 3 pointer to end the first half and South Carolina held a 32-25 lead at the break.

The Bulldogs shot just 33.3 percent in the first half while South Carolina shot 46.2 percent from the field. The Bulldogs were just 2 of 10 beyond the arc and had eight turnovers in the first half. The Gamecocks were 11-0 this year when leading at halftime.

BIG PICTURE

South Carolina: The Gamecocks have now lost four straight games on the road and finish their road schedule next week.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs have now won seven of their nine games to keep NCAA Tournament hopes alive. The 21 wins mark the most by the Bulldogs since winning 21 in the 2011-12 season.

UP NEXT

South Carolina finishes its home slate on Wednesday as the Gamecocks host LSU.

Mississippi State closes out the regular-season home slate on Tuesday as the Bulldogs host No. 19 Tennessee.

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