Bring on the Dukies.....

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http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs. ... 025/SPORTS

Bring on the Dukies

State advances by trouncing Stanford

By Ian R. Rapoport
irapopor@clarionledger.com

David J. Phillips/The Associated Press

Mississippi State's Lawrence Roberts, No. 4, goes for a rebound against Stanford's Matt Haryasz Friday in the Bulldogs' 93-70 romp over the Cardinal. Roberts led State with 23 points and 14 rebounds.


CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The constant barrage of injuries had gotten to Mississippi State. By the end of last week, the team was battered and worn down, badly in need of a week off.

So the Bulldogs have spent the last seven days healing, having what some have called the best practices of the season, with hopes of showing that promise that reigned at the beginning of the season.

After the ninth-seeded Bulldogs played refreshed, renewed, inspired basketball in a 93-70 blowout of Stanford in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament's Austin Regional Friday night, perhaps that promise is returning.
"Everything fell into place," senior Winsome Frazier said. "Those injuries have just made us stronger. You can't break us."

The Bulldogs advanced to face top-seeded Duke on Sunday at approximately 4 p.m., a challenge that MSU senior Lawrence Roberts said, "We look forward to."

Mississippi State's Gary Ervin celebrates a basket in th esecond half as the Bulldogs began to turn the tables on Stanford, which led early in th egame but fell hard, 93-70, in Friday's first-round clash.

Roberts, the All-American, had 23 points and 14 rebounds, and Frazier had 20 points with six 3-pointers to lead MSU (23-10).

Leading by one with 16 minutes left, State opened up its offensive arsenal, outscoring the Cardinal 28-6 over the next 10 minutes.

Center Marcus Campbell, who had struggled with a calf injury, had eight points, and Shane Power, who had sprained his ankle last week, had 14 points.

Still, it was Roberts and Frazier, feeding off each other, that made the offense click as the Bulldogs recorded their highest point total ever in postseason play.

Frazier, playing in his most productive game since he broke his ankle on Jan. 8, missed only two of his eight 3-pointers. Before his injury, he was 36 percent. Following his injury, he was only 33 percent. Friday night, as State coach Rick Stansbury said, "It was the Frazier of old."

"I came out of the slump tonight," Frazier said. "It came at the right time. I had been second-guessing myself before (Friday), but they just came to me tonight."

His six 3-pointers is his highest total since he hit eight against Missouri-Kansas City.

But as Stansbury pointed out, "look how many open looks we had."

That was partially due to Roberts, who had 14 points by halftime. He looked aggressive early on, taking it to the rim, and Stanford seemed helpless. He credits spacing and his teammates moving without the ball while he took on a double team.

"That's the thing we emphasized this week in practice," Roberts said. "Guys were moving, knocking down shots and that opened things up inside for us big men. Everybody was just flowing."

It took some time, though.

The Cardinal (18-13) led 24-18 with 10 minutes left. Another Frazier 3-pointer brought State within three at 26-23 with nine minutes left. But Stanford launched a 13-4 run — ended by Matt Haryasz layup — to make it 39-27, with 5:25 left.

"They hit some big shots, scoring on 10 of 11 possessions at one point," Stansbury said. "But we started getting stops, which is when it changed for us. It allows us to use our quickness in transition."

In the half's final five minutes, MSU closed the gap. Frazier and Power each hit two 3-pointers, and Roberts had five points to give the Bulldogs a 44-43 halftime lead.

It was more of the same in the second half, as the Bulldogs made stop after stop, holding the Cardinal to just 26 percent — 1 of 12 from 3-point land — in the final 20 minutes.

"Our defensive energy was as high as it's ever been," said Campbell, who had four blocks.

With the score 52-51, Roberts converted a three-point play, Campbell followed with a dunk, and MSU went on a 19-2 run. Stanford called timeout with it 63-53 with 11 minutes left. The run kept going, and after a Gary Ervin transition layup, State led 71-53.

With four minutes left, it was 80-60, and the Stanford crowd had begun to file out.