STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) Reggie Perry scored 21 points and Tyson Carter added 19 as Mississippi State held off Alabama 80-73 on Tuesday night.
Perry also added 12 rebounds for the Bulldogs (18-10, 9-6 SEC) for his conference-leading 15th double-double of the season. The sophomore also has 24 career double-doubles, the most by a Bulldog in their first two seasons. Robert Woodard added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Kira Lewis Jr. scored 29 points to lead Alabama (15-13, 7-8). Jaden Shackelford had 17 points and James Bolden finished with 11. Alabama’s John Petty Jr. suffered an elbow injury at the midway point of the first half and did not return the rest of the game after scoring eight points in nine minutes.
The Crimson Tide came as close as 77-73 with 17 seconds left on a Shackleford putback before Carter and Perry made 3 of 4 from the line to close out the game.
The opening half was back and forth and neither team led by more than six. The first half also featured 16 lead changes and four ties.
Lewis knocked down his third 3 pointer of the first half to cap a 7-0 Alabama run, giving the Tide a 34-28 lead with 5:02 left in the half. However, Mississippi State closed the half on a 13-4 run that was capped by a Nick Weatherspoon 3 pointer to give the Bulldogs a 41-39 halftime advantage.
Alabama shot 47% in the first half and made 8 of 17 beyond the arc. Mississippi State shot 49% overall from the field and made 3 of 8 from 3-point territory. The Bulldogs held a slim 18-17 rebounding advantage in the first half, and had 11 assists and five turnovers. Alabama had eight turnovers in the first half.
BIG PICTURE
Alabama: The Tide are now 2-5 in SEC road games this season and have dropped three straight games at Mississippi State.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive and grabbed a critical win over Alabama. Mississippi State now plays two of the final three regular-season games on the road.
UP NEXT
Alabama: The Crimson Tide host South Carolina on Saturday.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs return to the road and play at Missouri on Saturday.
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