STARKVILLE, Miss. – Senior DJ Thorpe led all players with 21 points and classmate Moter Deng added 11 as the West Florida men's basketball team dropped an exhibition contest to Mississippi State, 87-62, at Humphrey Coliseum Thursday night.
 
UWF shot just 38 percent from the floor and saw an 8-point lead turn into an 8-point deficit in the span of six minutes late in the first half. The Argos were unable to recover as the Bulldogs shot 7-for-12 and had four second-chance points during the run.
 
"When we stayed in character and executed we did some good things and played well," UWF head coach Jeff Burkhamer said. "Coming in, we knew that live-ball turnovers would be a problem because they are so successful in transition. We shot some shots too quickly and it turned into easy baskets for them."
 
Thorpe was 9-of-13 and made both of his 3-point attempts in a game-high 39 minutes. He had 12 in the second half and ended the night making his last five shots and 6-of-7.
 
Deng's 11 points were the only other Argonaut player in double figures. Junior transfer Latrell Tidwell contributed seven and freshman Cameron Cox had six.
 
"I thought Thorpe played well and Deng gave us some good minutes. And I'm really proud of Cameron Cox playing well against an SEC team as a freshman in his first college competition."
 
After MSU scored the first two points, UWF took over and went on a 7-0 run for a 7-2 lead. The Bulldogs closed to within a point twice before a pair of 3-pointers from Thorpe and junior Shondell Jackson extended the Argos' lead to 26-18 at the midway point of the half. UWF had made 10 of its first 16 attempts at that point.
 
With UWF holding a 27-22 lead and 7:53 on the clock, MSU started to get some production from its defense. The Bulldogs scored 13-consecutive as part of a 22-2 run for a 44-29 lead. The Argos got a follow slam from junior Jarrett Henderson with 2.7 seconds remaining to go into the locker room trailing 44-31.
 
In the second half, MSU stretched the lead to as many as 33 before the Argos took advantage of three Bulldog miscues in the final two minutes and ended the game on an 8-0 run.
 
MSU had four players in double figures and shot 52 percent, including 56 percent in the second half. The Bulldogs held a 48-38 edge in the paint and outrebounded the Argos 47-35.
 
UWF will open the season in at home next weekend when it hosts to GSC-SIAC Crossover at the UWF Field House, Saturday, Nov. 11 and Sunday, Nov. 12. The Argos will face Albany State on Saturday and Fort Valley State on Sunday. Both games will tip-off at 4 p.m.