Final Stats Box Score and Play-by-Play

STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Nicholls State University men's basketball team (4-4) had four players score in double digits for the first time this season, and the Colonels tried to rally from a 13-point deficit.  But it wasn't enough to overcome a hot-shooting Mississippi State squad (6-2) as the Colonels fell 67-58 in their bid for their second upset of an SEC school this season, in Starkville on Monday night.

Senior forward Anatoly Bose scored a team-high 17 points.  Redshirt junior Ben Martin added a career-high 12 points on four three pointers, junior guard/forward Fred Hunter turned in 11 and true freshman guard Dantrell Thomas added 10 to the Nicholls cause.  However, the Bulldogs got a pair of 20 point performances as Ravern Johnson turned in a game-high 23 points and Brian Bryant added 22. 

Nicholls committed just six turnovers on the night while scoring 19 points off of 11 MSU turnovers, and the Colonel bench outscored the Bulldog reserves 10-6 as the Colonels searched for their second win against an SEC opponent this season after upsetting LSU in Baton Rouge on Nov. 16.  However, Johnson and Bryant spearheaded a MSU attack that shot 24-for-47 (51.1 percent) from the floor for the preseason SEC West Division favorites.

Mississippi State lead by as many as seven in the first half, going up 26-19 at the 6:04 mark.  However, the Colonels battled back by going on a 8-0 run to take a 27-26 lead with just under three minutes left.  Unfortunately, for the Colonels, MSU battled back with a 13-0 run over the final 2:29 of the first half to take a 39-27 lead into the lockerroom.  Martin was the Colonels' leading scorer in the opening frame, draining a trio of three-point attempts for nine of his 12 points.

The Bulldogs expanded their lead to 13 points as MSU went up 45-32 with 11:46 left before the Colonels began threatening once again.  Nicholls pulled to within seven as Bose nailed a jumper to make it 56-49 with 3:52 left.  After scoring four first half points, Bose turned in 13 points in the second half.

However, it wasn't enough as the Bulldogs held on for the 67-58 win.  The Colonels will now return home to take on Dillard on Thursday night.  Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. at stopher Gym.