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Bryant leads Bulldogs over Warhawks

Nov 22, 2011 - 4:40 AM Starkville, MS (Sports Network) - Brian Bryant scored 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, as the 24th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs held off the ULM Warhawks, 78-63.

Dee Bost added 21 points and five assists for the Bulldogs (5-1), who are off to their first 5-1 start since the 2008-09 season. Rodney Hood donated 20 points and eight boards.

"Like I said before, our team is very versatile this year," Bost said. "I don't have all the pressure on me this year like I did in previous years. It feels good to have other guys that I know I can depend on Brian and Rodney."

Mississippi State was fresh of its 2K Sports Challenge Championship, beating Texas A&M and Arizona to win the title.

Fred Brown ended with 21 points for the Warhawks (0-5), who got 13 points from Marcelis Hansberry.

ULM used an 8-0 run to grab a 23-15 lead with under 8 1/2 minutes to play in the first half.

But the Bulldogs scored the next 14 points to take their first lead of the game. Hood's layup made it a 29-23 game with 1 1/2 minutes to go. Hood made a jumper following Brown's three-pointer to give Mississippi State a 31-26 margin at the break.

The Warhawks hung around early in the second half, and actually took a 41-39 lead on Hansberry's jumper with 14:13 to play.

The Bulldogs responded in a big way with an 18-1 run. Deville Smith and Bost bookended the surge with three-pointers to make it a 57-42 contest at the midway point.

Game Notes

MSU has a 13-2 advantage in the all-time series versus the Warhawks and has won nine straight...Mississippi State was without starting forwards Renardo Sidney and Arnett Moultrie.