Quinndary Weatherspoon had game-highs of 21 points and 12 rebounds as No. 25 Mississippi State defeated host Dayton 65-58 on Friday night.
Nick Weatherspoon added 14 points and Abdul Ado, returning from a two-game absence due to an injury, scored 10 for the Bulldogs, who improved to 6-1 in their first true road game of the season.
Ryan Mikesell led the Flyers, who dropped to 4-3 after their third consecutive loss, with 15 points, while Jalen Crutcher and Josh Cunningham scored 11 each.
Mississippi State's Lamar Peters broke a 53-all tie by making a 3-pointer with 2:17 remaining. Trey Landers countered with a dunk, but Ado's jumper and Nick Weatherspoon's 3-pointer gave the Bulldogs a 61-55 lead with 28 seconds left.
Crutcher's 3-pointer cut the lead in half with 14 seconds left, but two seconds later Quinndary Weatherspoon got free for a layup, and later added two free throws with four seconds left.
Jordan Davis' layup increased Dayton's three-point halftime lead to 31-26 before State made a run.
Quinndary Weatherspoon made a 3-pointer and another jumper during a 9-0 run that gave the Bulldogs a 35-31 lead.
The run ended on Mikesell's 3-pointer and he made another to put the Flyers back on top at 41-40.
Crutcher made a 3-pointer, and the lead grew to 51-44 on a layup by Landers.
Baskets by Tyson Carter and Reggie Perry and two free throws by Quinndary Weatherspoon pulled State within 51-48.
Davis stopped the run with a jumper, and Nick Weatherspoon answered with a 3-pointer that tied the score at 53 with 3:15 left.
The score was tied twice and the lead changed hands four times before Dayton created some first-half separation.
Cunningham had a layup and two free throws during an 8-0 run that gave the Flyers a 20-11 lead. Quinndary Weatherspoon ended the run with a layup and the Bulldogs started chipping away.
Four points by Ado and a dunk by Nick Weatherspoon pulled State within 22-19.
Dayton rebuilt the lead as it went on a 7-0 run, which ended with a basket by Obadiah Toppin and a 29-19 lead.
The Bulldogs responded with a 7-0 run of their own, as Perry made a jumper and a 3-pointer and Nick Weatherspoon hit a jumper.
That left the Flyers with a 29-26 halftime lead.
--Field Level Media
Mississippi State | Dayton | |
Quinndary Weatherspoon 21 | Scoring | Ryan Mikesell 15 |
Lamar Peters 8 | Assists | Jalen Crutcher 7 |
Quinndary Weatherspoon 12 | Rebounds | Trey Landers 7 |
Quinndary Weatherspoon 5 | Free Throws Made | Josh Cunningham 2 |
Quinndary Weatherspoon 3 | Steals | Josh Cunningham 3 |
N/A | Blocks | Trey Landers 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Mississippi State | 65 | 41.0 | 7-22 | 8-10 | 18 | 41 | 0 | 6 | 17 |
Dayton | 58 | 41.4 | 7-23 | 3-8 | 14 | 29 | 4 | 7 | 14 |