The Alabama basketball win over Mississippi State Saturday night in Tuscaloosa was like two different games. The Tide raced out to a 41-22 lead at the half. The second game without injured Collin Sexton saw an undeterred Tide move the ball briskly, make the extra pass and consistently help on defense. It looked like the Bulldogs might as well just bus on back to Starkville at halftime.
The Bulldogs hung around. To Mississippi State coach, Ben Howland’s credit, his team did not panic. Alabama started the second half cold, while the Bulldogs put together an 11-2 run, mostly on three, 3’s from Lamar Peters.