STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Jarvis Varnado had a triple-double that
included 10 blocks and confounded Kentucky's offense as Mississippi
State held off a late rally to beat Kentucky 69-64 Tuesday night.
It was the seventh straight win for the Bulldogs (12-5, 3-0),
who moved to 3-0 in the Southeastern Conference for the first time
since the 1993-94 season.
The Bulldogs built a lead of 11 points over the Wildcats (7-8,
1-1), but had to hold on late. Kentucky cut the lead to three twice
in the final minutes, but Mississippi State made 6 of 8 free throws
to seal the game.
Jamont Gordon finished with 24 points and Varnado, the nation's
leading shot-blocker, finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds. It
was just the third triple-double in school history and the first to
include double-digit blocks. Varnado has had 10 or more blocks
three times this season.
Behind Varnado's outstretched arm, Mississippi State pulled away
from Kentucky in the first half with a 20-8 run that helped them to
a 32-27 halftime lead.
The Wildcats rallied behind Joey Crawford and Ramel Bradley late
in the second half. Bradley finished with 22 points and Crawford
had 20.
Varnado, who leads the nation's stingiest defense, held Patrick
Patterson to 10 points. Charles Rhodes added 12 for Mississippi
State and Phil Turner added 11.