STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Reggie Perry had 25 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high six assists to lead Mississippi State to an 80-70 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Perry was 7 of 10 from the floor and 8 of 9 at the free throw line. Nick Weatherspoon added a season-high 21 points for the Bulldogs (15-8 overall, 6-4 in the SEC) while Tyson Carter had 16.
Saben Lee had 20 points for Vanderbilt (9-14, 1-9) and Ejike Obinna had 12. Jordan Wright finished with 11 points.
Mississippi State jumped out to a 12-5 lead thanks to eight straight points by Perry. The Bulldogs eventually stretched the lead to as many as eight points before Lee and the Commodores chipped away at the deficit.
A Lee 3-pointer cut the Mississippi State lead to 25-21 with 5:08 remaining in the opening half. The Commodores then closed the half on a 12-2 run and held a 35-31 advantage at the break.
Mississippi State shot 44.8 percenr in the first half and made just 1 of 7 from 3 point territory. The Bulldogs were 4 of 5 at the free throw line and had eight turnovers. Mississippi State also held a 16-15 rebounding advantage in the first half.
Vanderbilt recovered from a slow start and shot 48.1 percent from the field in the opening half. The Commodores were 2 of 11 beyond the arc and 7 of 9 at the charity stripe.
