STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP)—Phil Turner scored 17 points and blocked three shots to lead Mississippi State to an 83-74 victory over Alabama on Wednesday night.
MSU (12-5, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) shot 66.7 percent from the field in the second half (16 of 24) to erase a three-point halftime deficit and win its 10th conference home-opener in 11 seasons.
Alabama (11-5, 1-1) led 36-33 at halftime, but the Bulldogs opened the second half on a 13-5 run and the Tide never regained the lead.
Dee Bost and Barry Stewart added 13 points each for the Bulldogs, while Jarvis Varnado chipped in 11.
Mikhail Torrance scored 20 points to lead the Tide. Alonzo Gee added 15 points, Senario Hillman had 12, and Jamychal Green chipped in 11.
Updated Wednesday, Jan 14, 2009
