Perry lifts Mississippi St. over Vanderbilt 80-70
February 8, 2020
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Reggie Perry had 25 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high six assists to lead Mississippi State to an 80-70 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Perry was 7 of 10 from the floor and 8 of 9 at the free throw line. Nick Weatherspoon added a season-high 21 points for the Bulldogs (15-8 overall, 6-4 in the SEC) while Tyson Carter had 16.
Saben Lee had 20 points for Vanderbilt (9-14, 1-9) and Ejike Obinna had 12. Jordan Wright finished with 11 points.
Mississippi State jumped out to a 12-5 lead, thanks to eight straight points by Perry. The Bulldogs eventually stretched the lead to as many as eight points before Lee and the Commodores chipped away at the deficit.
A Lee 3-pointer cut the Mississippi State lead to 25-21 with 5:08 remaining in the opening half. The Commodores then closed the half on a 12-2 run and held a 35-31 advantage at the break.
Mississippi State shot 44.8% in the first half and made just 1 of 7 from 3 point territory. The Bulldogs were 4 of 5 at the free throw line and had eight turnovers. Mississippi State also held a 16-15 rebounding advantage in the first half.
Vanderbilt recovered from a slow start and shot 48.1% from the field in the opening half. The Commodores were 2 of 11 beyond the arc and 7 of 9 at the charity stripe.
BIG PICTURE
Vanderbilt: The Commodores broke an SEC-record, 26-game conference losing streak earlier this week and now have lost 14 straight road SEC games. Vanderbilt’s last road win in the SEC was at Ole Miss in March of 2018.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs have won six of their last seven games following an 0-3 start in SEC play. Mississippi State must go on the road for five of the next seven games.
UP NEXT
Vanderbilt: The Commodores return home Tuesday and play host to Kentucky.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs return to the road and travel to rival Ole Miss on Tuesday.
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