Georgia falls to Mississippi State, 60-49

STARKVILLE, Miss. - The first half for Mississippi State and Georgia was a story of defensive stops and missed opportunities.

The second half was different and Mississippi State pulled out a 60-49 victory Saturday to extend its winning streak to six games. Mississippi State (11-5, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) has not lost at home since Dec. 13.

Mississippi State opened the game on a 9-2 clip, but could not sustain any momentum. The Bulldogs had nine blocked shots in the opening period, and the teams combined to shoot 2-for-17 from beyond the arc. Mississippi State led 27-24 at the half.

Georgia (9-5, 0-1) took an early 28-27 lead in the second half, but didn't hold it long.

A 3-pointer by Ben Hansbrough, who played almost the entire game with a swollen left hand, started an 18-2 run that would eat 10 minutes off the clock and put Mississippi State up 45-30.

``It was a tough stretch and none of us were getting anything to fall,'' said Mississippi State sophomore Barry Stewart said. ``But when Ben hit that shot, I guess it helped up relax a little bit.''

Georgia responded with its own 9-0 run late in the half, but a 3-pointer by Mississippi State freshman guard Riley Benock ended the comeback.

Georgia's Sundiata Gaines and Mississippi State's Jamont Gordon led all scorers with 15 points each.

``They have those big bodies and made it difficult for us to execute at all,'' said Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury. ``On the other hand, our team found a way to do what it does best. We held a team that is averaging 70 points to 49, and to 24 percent shooting from the field. It was a game about toughness, and I'm proud to see the way we stepped up and played.''

Mississippi State finished the game with a school record 16 blocks, 10 by team-leader Jarvis Varnado, who fell one point and one rebound short of a triple double. Varnado's block total ties his career high set earlier this year against Miami.

Mississippi State averages an SEC-leading number of rejections at more than eight per game.

``It's the blocks,'' Georgia head coach Dennis Felton said. ``You don't have to be a genius. When I was looking at them as a team, if a team makes 40 percent of the shots they normally block, then they're giving up like 47 or 48 percent shooting.''