First Round Recap – Austin Region
No. 9 Mississippi State rallied from a 12-point deficit shortly before halftime and continued that momentum throughout the second half against No. 8 Stanford, completing a 93-70 romp in a first-round match up in the Austin region. The Bulldogs overcame a slow start in which Stanford battered Mississippi State with senior center Rob Little.
Mississippi State countered Little’s production with the overpowering inside-outside combination of senior forward Lawrence Roberts and senior guard Winsome Frazier. Roberts led all scorers with 23 points, and Frazier had 20, including six three-pointers. Roberts’ presence in the post forced the Cardinal to compensate with extra defenders, allowing Frazier to find open space to knock down the long-range jumpers.
In the second half, Mississippi State outscored Stanford 49-27 with excellent defense. The Cardinal finished the game with a field-goal percentage less than 38 percent. Junior guard Chris Hernandez led Stanford 17 points, adding seven assists. But the team’s production could not keep up with the Bulldogs’ hot shooting. They made more than 56 percent of their field goals, primarily because the offense stated and ended with Roberts in the paint. And he seemingly had point-blank looks at the basket every time he touched the ball.
Mississippi State moves on to play No. 1 Duke Sunday with an opportunity to flip the results of last year’s loss to Xavier. The Bulldogs were seeded No. 2 and lost to a hot shooting No. 7 Musketeers squad. The table is set for a similar feast for Mississippi State, which is on a tear based on its annihilation of the Cardinal.
