Ringgold, Gadson lead Rider to 88-74 upset of No. 18 Mississippi State in season opener

Rider scores 88-74 upset of No. 18 Mississippi St

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mike Ringgold and Novar Gadson scored 21 points each, and Rider pulled off the first big upset of the season by beating No. 18 Mississippi State 88-74 on Friday night.

The Broncs drove to the basket relentlessly and hit 62.5 percent of their 3-point shots to knock off lifeless Mississippi State on the night the Bulldogs (0-1) received their 2008-09 Southeastern Conference championship rings.

Rider used a 15-5 run near the end of the first half to take a 47-45 halftime advantage and never relinquished it. Ryan Thompson scored 16 for Rider (1-0), Justin Robinson had 15 and Gadson added 11 rebounds.

Jarvis Varnado led the Bulldogs with 22 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocked shots, but Mississippi State managed just 10 field goals in the second half.

Mississippi State started the season ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since starting 12th in 2004-05. The Bulldogs return all five starters and were picked to win the SEC Western Division this season.

But the Broncs, who return four starters from a squad that won 19 games last season, proved they’re just as talented and didn’t wilt after Mississippi State got off to a fast start.

Varnado scored six straight points to open the game and helped the Bulldogs to an early 11-2 lead. But Rider scored 18 points off 10 first-half turnovers to quickly get back in the game, and finished with a 20-3 advantage in that category.

The Broncs also outrebounded the bigger Bulldogs and used 11 offensive boards to score 13 second-chance points.

Mississippi State was one-dimensional in both phases of the game, relying on Varnado to score on offense and stop the Broncs on defense. The center was able to redirect several shots, but Ringgold drove the lane without pause and Rider outscored Mississippi State 36-30 in the paint.

The Broncs were also dominant from long range thanks to lapses in the Bulldogs’ perimeter defense, making 10 of 16 3-pointers, many of them wide open.

Barry Stewart hit a 3-pointer and Varnado hit a short jumper midway through the second half to cut Rider’s lead to 60-55, but Thompson hit two 3s during a quick 11-3 run to give the Broncs a 12-point advantage that held up.

The Bulldogs hit just 41.9 percent of their field goals and were 12 of 19 from the free-throw line. They also missed 17 of their 27 3-point attempts.