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Mississippi State avoids upset, edges Detroit

Dec 18, 2011 - 12:28 AM Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Arnett Moultrie and Brian Bryant both scored 17 points, helping No. 17 Mississippi State avoid an upset with an 80-75 victory against Detroit.

Renardo Sidney added 16 points while Moultrie had 13 rebounds for the Bulldogs (11-1), who have won their last 10 games.

Detroit's Ray McCallum made a layup with under a minute to play, tying the game at 75. But Mississippi State's Rodney Hood followed with a jumper, Detroit's Eli Holman missed a layup, and the Bulldogs secured the victory with free throws.

McCallum and Chase Simon both had 17 points to pace the Titans (5-8), who have dropped two in a row.

"Very disappointed we came up short. Really proud of the effort," said Detroit head coach Ray McCallum. "We had to do a lot of things right to win that basketball game today."

Mississippi State held a slight lead throughout the first half and was ahead 39-36 at the break.

The Bulldogs appeared as though they would pull away for good at the start of the second half, when they went on a 10-0 run. Dee Bost and Sidney capped the burst with consecutive three-pointers.

They held a 56-41 advantage after Bryant sank a jumper five minutes into the half, but Detroit countered with the next 10 points to get back in the game. Holman opened it with back-to-back buckets, and Simon drilled a three during the run.

The Titans still trailed by multiple possessions heading down the stretch, but with under six minutes left, Holman made a layup. McCallum then hit a shot from beyond the arc, and Holman sank another bucket a minute later. The seven consecutive points pulled Detroit within 66-65.

The hosts pulled even on a Simon three-point play with about 2 1/2 minutes left, but Bryant followed with a jumper to keep Mississippi State ahead. The Bulldogs' offense continued to have an answer in the final few minutes.

Game Notes

Bost had 13 points for the Bulldogs...Holman finished with 12 points and nine rebounds for the Titans, while Doug Anderson had 13 points...Mississippi State shot 49.2 percent...Detroit made 16-of-21 free throws.