STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Aric Holman scored a career-high 28 points and Quinndary Weatherspoon had 27 Saturday, leading No. 19 Mississippi State past BYU 103-81 for the Bulldogs’ ninth straight victory.
In closing its nonconference schedule, Mississippi State also got 16 points from Tyson Carter and 11 each from Nick Weatherspoon and Reggie Perry.
BYU (8-7) dropped its third straight game and is 0-3 against ranked opponents this season. Yoeli Childs led the Cougars with 25 points and Zac Seljass and TJ Haws each had 14.
With the score tied at 23, the Bulldogs reeled off 13 consecutive points, including six by Carter, to take control with 7:47 left in the half. Mississippi State led by as many as 15 points in the first half and was ahead 48-38 at halftime.
Mississippi State shot 50 percent in the first half and made all seven of its free throws. The Cougars shot 48 percent in the first half and had 11 turnovers.
BIG PICTURE
This has been an up-and-down season for BYU. The Cougars have had winning streaks of five games and three games this season. After this loss, they now their second three-game losing streak.
Mississippi State finishes this part of its schedule with a lot of momentum. The Bulldogs get more than a week off before starting SEC play. They have a league-high 12 wins, including victories over Cincinnati and Clemson.