Mississippi State Routs Fraser Valley In Canadian Debut
ADDOTSFORD, BC, Canada - All-SEC standouts Charles Rhodes and Jamont Gordon each posted double-doubles to help lead Mississippi State to a convincing 91-68 win over University College of the Fraser Valley Saturday afternoon to successfully tip off its Labor Day weekend of basketball competition in Canada.
A second-team all-conference performer a year ago as a sophomore, Rhodes tied for game scoring honors with 18 points while pulling down a game-best 13 rebounds. Gordon, a SEC All-Freshman pick last year, also tallied 18 points for the winners in addition to collecting ten boards.
The Bulldogs never trailed in the contest, which featured a combined total of 54 personal fouls, 70 free-throw attempts, and 59 turnovers between the teams. Along with holding a 52-41 rebounding advantage and limiting UCFV to 30% shooting from the field, State was credited with 15 steals.
“We played through some turnovers and got some guys some playing time” said Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury. “We played sloppy at times but that’s to be expected after a long trip like this. I’m very pleased with the effort our guys gave.”
MSU ran out to a 24-point, first-half lead before the Cascades scored 11 unanswered points to close the period and trim the halftime deficit to 46-33. UCFV managed to cut the advantage to nine points (52-43) four minutes into the second half on a 3-pointer by reigning national collegiate player of the year Jamie Vaughn. However, State sophomore Richard Delk answered with a trey of his own and the Bulldog lead was never again in jeopardy.
Sophomore Vernon Goodridge also dominated in the post for the Bulldogs with 16 points on 8-of-10 field-goal shooting along with adding eight rebounds and four blocked shots. Freshman guards Barry Stewart and Ben Hansbrough added 11 points apiece for the winners. Anthony Lao paced UCFV with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Vaughn was limited to 4-of-17 shooting en route to scoring 14 points.
MSU was slated to meet the University of Saskatchewan late Saturday evening in a neutral-site contest set to be played at Douglas College in New Westminster, British Columbia. Coach Rick Stansbury’s Bulldogs will conclude their holiday weekend of competition by playing at Douglas College late Sunday night.
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