Bulldogs clinch SEC title
By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
March 3, 2004
STARKVILLE Timmy Bowers couldn't have dreamed of a better way to finish the final home game of his college career.
The Bulldogs senior guard tallied the first five points for his team in a 105-91 win over Auburn (13-13, 4-11 Southeastern Conference).
To cap the night, Bower and his teammates cut the nets from the rims of Humphrey Coliseum as No. 5 MSU (24-2, 13-2 SEC) clinched a share of the conference title.
The Bulldogs can win their first outright SEC championship since 1963 with a win over Alabama on Saturday.
Winsome Frazier seemed determined to send the MSU seniors out with a win and the SEC championship, even if he had to shoot the ball every time he touched it.
But when you hit 6-of-9 shots from behind the arc in the first half, a free-shooting attitude is not a bad thing.
Frazier, who tied a career high for three-pointers with six in the first half, finished the game with a career-best 26 points.
Frazier was not alone in his marksmanship. MSU knocked down 14 three-pointers to tie the school record.
Bowers hit three treys, Shane Power sank three shots from behind the arc, and Gary Ervin chipped in a pair of three-pointers.
The Bulldogs drained 11-of-22 three-pointers in the first half, and sank 3-of-8 in the second.
MSU's productivity from behind the arc even carried over when things didn't go right for the team.
During the Bulldogs' 9-2 run to open the second half, Branden Vincent attempted a dunk that clanked off the rim.
The loose ball bounced into the hands of Power, who popped his second trey of the game for a 58-38 lead with 18:23 to play.
MSU finished the game hitting 55.6 percent of its shots, and Auburn was held to 44.7 percent.
Bulldogs forward Lawrence Roberts recorded his 15th double-double of the year, collecting 12 points and 15 rebounds.
Auburn forward Brandon Robinson also had a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds as the Tigers ended the game with six players scoring in double figures.
Auburn guard Monroe Lewis scored 16 points, and Ian Young tallied 13 in the loss. Quinnel Brown and Ronny LeMelle each scored 12 points for the Tigers, and Dwayne Curtis added 10.
