Weatherspoon Drains Buzzer Beater To Sink Commodores
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Quinndary Weatherspoon’s 3-pointer as time expired lifted Mississippi State to a thrilling 75-74 come-from-behind win against Vanderbilt Tuesday night at Humphrey Coliseum.
The Bulldogs staged their biggest comeback of the season as they erased a 17-point deficit over the final 14:12 of play.
MSU improved to 11-14 overall and 4-9 in conference play, while Vanderbilt fell to 15-11 and 7-6.
“The shot felt good when it left my hand,” Weatherspoon said. “My mind is still buzzing. It was good that we came through as a team and got this win. We have been close so many times that it feels really good that we got it done. That shot ranks as No. 1 because I had not hit a game-winning shot before.”
Weatherspoon finished with a career-high 24 points. Gavin Ware had a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Craig Sword added 14 points.
“That was a great comeback,” MSU head coach Ben Howland said. “We did a great job of getting defensive stops in the second half and getting some transition baskets. Gavin had a huge second half for us. It is good to see the kids rewarded for the never give up attitude. I am really happy for our team.”
Vanderbilt started strong, quickly building a 21-7 lead. A 3-point play by Ware brought the Bulldogs back within 23-18.
Vanderbilt followed with the game’s next six points, but the home team kept battling.
The Bulldogs were within seven points at 36-29 after back-to-back baskets by Ware.
Vanderbilt led 41-32 at halftime.
“We did a great job of attacking the rim,” Howland said. “(Weatherspoon) played so well offensively and also hit the game-winning shot, but he also played so well on the defensive end. (Fisher-Davis) had 17 at the half but finished with 20 because of his defense.”
Vanderbilt built a 17-point lead at 59-42 with 14:12 left.
The Bulldogs were then within 10 after a layup by Ware and minutes later after a dunk by Sword.
Down 71-62, the Bulldogs reeled off eight straight points, including a three-pointer by Weatherspoon, steal and layup by I.J. Ready and 3-pointer by Ready. MSU had a chance to grab a lead but missed the front end of a one-plus-one.
Trailing 73-70, the Bulldogs got a layup from Ware with 41 seconds left.
Vanderbilt split a pair of free throws on Its offensive end, setting the stage for Ready to find Weatherspoon for the game-winner as time expired.
For the contest, MSU hit 28 of 58 shots from the field (48.3 percent), 7 of 17 shots from 3-point range (41.2 percent) and 12 of 18 shots from the foul line (66.7 percent). Vanderbilt hit 27 of 61 shots from the field (44.3 percent), 10 of 23 shots from 3-point range (43.5 percent) and 10 of 17 shots from the foul line (58.8 percent).
Vanderbilt held a 38-36 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 14 assists and eight turnovers, while the Commodores had 15 assists and eight turnovers.
Vanderbilt placed four players in double figures. Damian Jones and Matthew Fisher-Davis each had 20 points, while Jeff Roberson had 12 points and Wade Baldwin added 10 points.
MSU returns to the road for a Saturday matchup with Alabama. The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide tip at 1:30 p.m. from Coleman Coliseum on the SEC Network.
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Quinndary Weatherspoon’s 3-pointer as time expired lifted Mississippi State to a thrilling 75-74 come-from-behind win against Vanderbilt Tuesday night at Humphrey Coliseum.
The Bulldogs staged their biggest comeback of the season as they erased a 17-point deficit over the final 14:12 of play.
MSU improved to 11-14 overall and 4-9 in conference play, while Vanderbilt fell to 15-11 and 7-6.
“The shot felt good when it left my hand,” Weatherspoon said. “My mind is still buzzing. It was good that we came through as a team and got this win. We have been close so many times that it feels really good that we got it done. That shot ranks as No. 1 because I had not hit a game-winning shot before.”
Weatherspoon finished with a career-high 24 points. Gavin Ware had a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Craig Sword added 14 points.
“That was a great comeback,” MSU head coach Ben Howland said. “We did a great job of getting defensive stops in the second half and getting some transition baskets. Gavin had a huge second half for us. It is good to see the kids rewarded for the never give up attitude. I am really happy for our team.”
Vanderbilt started strong, quickly building a 21-7 lead. A 3-point play by Ware brought the Bulldogs back within 23-18.
Vanderbilt followed with the game’s next six points, but the home team kept battling.
The Bulldogs were within seven points at 36-29 after back-to-back baskets by Ware.
Vanderbilt led 41-32 at halftime.
“We did a great job of attacking the rim,” Howland said. “(Weatherspoon) played so well offensively and also hit the game-winning shot, but he also played so well on the defensive end. (Fisher-Davis) had 17 at the half but finished with 20 because of his defense.”
Vanderbilt built a 17-point lead at 59-42 with 14:12 left.
The Bulldogs were then within 10 after a layup by Ware and minutes later after a dunk by Sword.
Down 71-62, the Bulldogs reeled off eight straight points, including a three-pointer by Weatherspoon, steal and layup by I.J. Ready and 3-pointer by Ready. MSU had a chance to grab a lead but missed the front end of a one-plus-one.
Trailing 73-70, the Bulldogs got a layup from Ware with 41 seconds left.
Vanderbilt split a pair of free throws on Its offensive end, setting the stage for Ready to find Weatherspoon for the game-winner as time expired.
For the contest, MSU hit 28 of 58 shots from the field (48.3 percent), 7 of 17 shots from 3-point range (41.2 percent) and 12 of 18 shots from the foul line (66.7 percent). Vanderbilt hit 27 of 61 shots from the field (44.3 percent), 10 of 23 shots from 3-point range (43.5 percent) and 10 of 17 shots from the foul line (58.8 percent).
Vanderbilt held a 38-36 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs had 14 assists and eight turnovers, while the Commodores had 15 assists and eight turnovers.
Vanderbilt placed four players in double figures. Damian Jones and Matthew Fisher-Davis each had 20 points, while Jeff Roberson had 12 points and Wade Baldwin added 10 points.
MSU returns to the road for a Saturday matchup with Alabama. The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide tip at 1:30 p.m. from Coleman Coliseum on the SEC Network.
