Associated Press
Starkville, Miss. -- Ravern Johnson scored 25 points to lead Mississippi State to a 82-76 victory over Detroit on Monday night.
MSU (3-0) hit 31 of 67 shots in the game, including 10 3-pointers, and led 40-32 at halftime.
Detroit (1-3) was 4 for 14 from beyond the arc and struggled offensively for most of the second half.
The Titans held close, though, and after a late 12-3 run trailed only 79-76 with 10.1 seconds remaining. But Jalen Steele hit a pair of clutch free throws for the Bulldogs, and Johnson hit one more to secure the win. The Bulldogs were 10 of 16 from the free-throw line in the contest.
Both teams failed to handle the ball well with 14 turnovers each, but MSU guards won the assist battle 14-6.
Johnson was 10 of 15 from the field and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. He also had five rebounds. Behind Johnson, Riley Benock hit 3 3-pointers and scored a career-high 13 points for MSU. Kodi Augustus chipped in 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting and had nine rebounds.
Jason Calliste paced the Titans with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting and had five rebounds. Chase Simon and Ray McCallum had 17 and 16 points, respectively, but finished a combined 0-for-9 from beyond the arc.
Forward Nick Minnerath chipped in 12 points and had six rebounds.
Renardo Sidney and Dee Bost, two projected starters for the Bulldogs, did not play because of NCAA suspensions.
Nov. 22, 2010
