Dogs Oust 'Noles 86-71 To Advance To NIT Semifinals In New York

Dogs Oust 'Noles 86-71 To Advance To NIT Semifinals In New York 03/20/2007 • Official Statistics
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• NIT Ticket Info - New York

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State (21-13) handed visiting Florida State (22-13) an 86-71 defeat Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament. With the win, State punched its ticket to its first-ever NIT semifinal, which will be held next Tuesday, March 27, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The semifinal matchup will pair MSU against the winner of tonight's North Carolina State-West Virginia game. The MasterCard NIT semifinal contest will be televised nationally by ESPN2 on Tuesday, March 27. The tipoff times for the semifinal games will not be released until Wednesday. For the second time this season, six Bulldogs scored in double figures Tuesday night. First-team all-SEC selection Jamont Gordon led the charge, notching 16 points, seven assists, and six rebounds on the afternoon. Charles Rhodes contributed 14, while senior Dietric Slater scored 13 on his last game on his home court. Freshmen Ben Hansbrough, Barry Stewart, and Jarvis Varnado recorded 12, 10, and 10 points respectively while grabbing a combined 12 rebounds. Florida State saw junior guard Isaiah Swann dominate offensively, who recorded a career-high 31 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field, including a 9-of-13 effort from behind the arc. State jumped out to a 17-9 lead early before FSU went on its only major run of the evening, a 13-4 streak to gain a 22-21 lead at the 8:16 mark of the first half. But Hansbrough hit a three-pointer on the next trip down, sparking a 9-0 MSU stretch, and the Seminoles would never lead again. MSU led 42-29 at halftime and held advantages as high as 19 points in the second stanza. Florida State never trimmed the Bulldog lead to less than 11 in the half. The win marks the 16th at home for coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs this season, ending the campaign with a 16-3 home record, an all-time high for MSU in both home wins and home games played. MSU will carry a seven-game home winning streak into their 2007-2008 campaign. MSU is now 5-2 in the NIT under Stansbury's guidance.
2006-07 Mississippi State Men's Basketball Roster

2006-07 Bulldogs Front Row (l to r): Billy Begley, Reginald Delk, Phil Turner, Jamont Gordon, Ben Hansbrough, Richard Delk, Barry Stewart. Back Row (l to r): Dietric Slater, Charles Rhodes, Brian Johnson, Piotr Stelmach, Vernon Goodridge, Jarvis Varnado, Bernard Rimmer. Players

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Cl.	Exp.	Hometown (HS/JC/Last School)
01	Richard Delk	G/F	6-4	175	So.	1L	Jackson, TN (North Side HS)
03	Billy Begley	G	6-1	190	Jr.	2L	Henderson, KY (Notre Dame Prep [MA])
04	Barry Stewart	G	6-2	165	Fr.	HS	Shelbyville, TN (Shelbyville Central HS)
10	Joe Iupe	G	6-1	160	Fr.	HS	Madison, MS (Madison Central HS)
11	Ben Hansbrough	G	6-3	200	Fr.	HS	Poplar Bluff, MO (Poplar Bluff HS)
20	Phil Turner	G	6-3	165	Fr.	HS	Grenada, MS (Grenada)
22	Dietric Slater	G/F	6-3	200	Sr.	3L	Waynesboro, MS (Wayne County HS)
23	Charles Rhodes	F/C	6-8	240	Jr.	2L	Jackson, MS (Lanier HS)
24	Reginald Delk	G/F	6-4	175	So.	1L	Jackson, TN (North Side HS)
30	Bernard Rimmer	F	6-8	195	So.	1L	Grenada, MS (Bridgton Academy [ME])
32	Jarvis Varnado	F/C	6-9	195	Fr.	HS	Brownsville, TN (Haywood HS)
40	Vernon Goodridge	C/F	6-9	225	So.	1L	Brooklyn, NY (Lutheran Christian Acad. [PA])
41	Piotr Stelmach	F	6-9	240	Sr.	3L	Kamien Pomorski, Poland (SMS Warka)
44	Jamont Gordon	G/F	6-4	225	So.	1L	Nashville, TN (Oak Hill Academy [VA])
45	Brian Johnson*	F/C	6-9	245	So.	TR	Laurinburg, NC (Univ. of Louisville)

* - Under NCAA transfer rules, Brian Johnson will sit out the 2006-07 season

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Coaching Staff

Head Coach:
Rick Stansbury (Campbellsville, 1982 - 9th year in 2006-07) Assistant Coaches:
Robert Kirby (Pan American, 1983 - 9th year in 2006-07)
Phil Cunningham (Campbellsville, 1990 - 7th year in 2006-07)
Mark White (Austin Peay State, 1988 - 5th year in 2006-07) Coordinator of Men's Basketball Operations:
Marcus Grant (Mississippi State, 1995 - 3rd year in 2006-07)

True freshman Ben Hansbrough was one of six Bulldogs in double figures Tuesday. He also had a game-high seven rebounds.