STARKVILLE, Miss. — Not one. Not two. Just three and counting.
For the third time in his career and the second time in the last three games, junior All-SEC guard Quinndary Weatherspoon delivered a game-winning shot with less than 1 second to play.
This time, the victim was Dayton on Sunday in front of 7,539 fans at Humphrey Coliseum.
With four seconds to play and the Flyers (3-4) with the ball and chance to win, Weatherspoon collected a steal and went the length of the court for a layup with 0.8 seconds to play, giving MSU (7-0) a thrilling 61-59 victory.
“I saw Nick (Weatherspoon) hit the ball out of his hands. It was loose, so I was just hustling to get to the ball before the defender did,” said Weatherspoon, who finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds for the double-double. “I ended up getting to it first, and we ended up winning.”
His shot thwarted Dayton’s comeback efforts.
With 17:35 to play in the game, the Bulldogs built their biggest lead at 41-20 on a 3-pointer by Tyson Carter, who had a game-high 20 points.
From there, though, the Flyers began chipping away and closed the gap to 43-38 on a 3 by Jalen Crutch. However, MSU extended the lead back to 9 at 51-42 on a layup by Carter, but again Dayton wouldn’t fold.
Following a turnover by MSU, which led 35-20 at the break, the Flyers tied the game at 56-apiece on another 3 by Crutcher, who had a team-high 18 points.
“For Quinndary to now hit his third game-winner at the buzzer during my tenure here is really incredible,” MSU coach Ben Howland said. “I feel very blessed, very fortunate to hold on to the win after having the 21-point lead dissipate, mainly because of turnovers.”
The Bulldogs had a season-high 24 turnovers, but forced a season-high 26 miscues.
For the game, MSU was 24-50 shooting, 9-28 beyond the arc. Dayton was 21-46, 8-25. The Flyers also won the battle of the boards, 30-27.
Mississippi State returns to action on Saturday at home against North Georgia with a 4 p.m. tip.
For the third time in his career and the second time in the last three games, junior All-SEC guard Quinndary Weatherspoon delivered a game-winning shot with less than 1 second to play.
This time, the victim was Dayton on Sunday in front of 7,539 fans at Humphrey Coliseum.
With four seconds to play and the Flyers (3-4) with the ball and chance to win, Weatherspoon collected a steal and went the length of the court for a layup with 0.8 seconds to play, giving MSU (7-0) a thrilling 61-59 victory.
“I saw Nick (Weatherspoon) hit the ball out of his hands. It was loose, so I was just hustling to get to the ball before the defender did,” said Weatherspoon, who finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds for the double-double. “I ended up getting to it first, and we ended up winning.”
His shot thwarted Dayton’s comeback efforts.
With 17:35 to play in the game, the Bulldogs built their biggest lead at 41-20 on a 3-pointer by Tyson Carter, who had a game-high 20 points.
From there, though, the Flyers began chipping away and closed the gap to 43-38 on a 3 by Jalen Crutch. However, MSU extended the lead back to 9 at 51-42 on a layup by Carter, but again Dayton wouldn’t fold.
Following a turnover by MSU, which led 35-20 at the break, the Flyers tied the game at 56-apiece on another 3 by Crutcher, who had a team-high 18 points.
“For Quinndary to now hit his third game-winner at the buzzer during my tenure here is really incredible,” MSU coach Ben Howland said. “I feel very blessed, very fortunate to hold on to the win after having the 21-point lead dissipate, mainly because of turnovers.”
The Bulldogs had a season-high 24 turnovers, but forced a season-high 26 miscues.
For the game, MSU was 24-50 shooting, 9-28 beyond the arc. Dayton was 21-46, 8-25. The Flyers also won the battle of the boards, 30-27.
Mississippi State returns to action on Saturday at home against North Georgia with a 4 p.m. tip.
