Perry leads Mississippi State over Ole Miss 69-44

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Reggie Perry had 22 points and 14 rebounds to lead Mississippi State to a 69-44 win over Mississippi on Saturday night.

It was Perry’s Southeastern Conference-leading 17th double-double of the season and 26th of his career. Mississippi State (20-11) finishes the regular season with an 11-7 SEC record, the most conference wins for the Bulldogs since winning 12 in the 2007-08 campaign.

Nick Weatherspoon and Robert Woodard II each had 11 points for Mississippi State while senior Tyson Carter had nine points in his final home game at Humphrey Coliseum.

Devontae Shuler led Ole Miss (15-16, 6-12) with 16 points while Breein Tyree added 11.

The opening minutes featured five ties until Mississippi State started to grab control late in the first half. Perry scored on three straight possessions to highlight a 10-0 run and gave the Bulldogs a 28-21 lead with 4:41 left in the half.

The Bulldogs continued to close strong in the first half, stretching the lead to 39-23 in the closing seconds and led 39-25 at halftime.

The Bulldogs overcame a slow offensive start to shoot 50% in the opening half. Mississippi State made 1 of 6 beyond the arc and 14 of 16 at the free-throw line. Ole Miss shot just 40% in the first half and had eight turnovers. The Rebels made 2 of 9 attempts on 3 pointers and were 3 of 5 at the line.

Mississippi State held a 16-14 rebounding edge in the first half and had just three turnovers.

BIG PICTURE

Ole Miss: The Rebels’ road struggles continued on Saturday. Ole Miss finished the regular season 1-10 on the road, including a 1-8 mark inside the SEC.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs clinched their third straight 20-win season under coach Ben Howland. It marks just the third time the program has posted at least three 20-win seasons in a row.

UP NEXT

Ole Miss: The Rebels play Georgia on Wednesday in the opening round of the SEC tournament in Nashville, Tennessee.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs receive a double-bye for the SEC tournament and will play on Friday.

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