Weirdness rules in MSU win

By By Will Bardwell/staff writer
February 8, 2004
STARKVILLE Rod Barnes was still scratching his head long after his Ole Miss team fell 80-56 to No. 7 Mississippi State on Saturday.
Ole Miss used its typically scrappy tactics to disrupt Mississippi State for most of the first half and led the Bulldogs 27-18 just minutes before halftime. The lead was built during a six-and-a-half minute stretch without a field goal for Mississippi State, but it was the Rebels' foul-happy defense that kept the Bulldogs within striking distance.
Things only got weirder for the Rebels after Timmy Bowers broke the Bulldogs' drought with a three-pointer from the top of the arc. Ole Miss did not score in the first half's final two minutes, allowing Mississippi State to edge its way to a 31-29 halftime lead.
The game was as good as over.
The Bulldogs erupted in the second half. Mississippi State out-scored Ole Miss 13-4 in the second period's first six minutes, and a Lawrence Roberts free throw put the Bulldogs up 50-37 with 10 minutes to play.
Mississippi State, which shot just 30 percent from the floor in the first half, scorched the nets at 61.5 percent for the rest of the game.
Bulldogs forward Shane Power, who had 15 points and six rebounds. "You don't necessarily want to take the first open shot against Ole Miss, because you're going to come down and play defense for 35 seconds. You almost need to pass up a couple of open shots to get a real high-percentage shot against Ole Miss."
His team down by double digits and its defense failing, Barnes gambled halfway through the second period and put in a full-court trap. The Bulldogs sliced through the Rebels for 30 points in the final 10 minutes.