STARKVILLE, Miss., Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Mario Austin converted a three-point play with 52 seconds left in overtime Saturday night to help No. 20 Mississippi State escape Southeastern Conference rival Mississippi's upset bid, 68-64.
Austin's layup and free throw gave the Bulldogs a 64-62 lead and sparked a late 7-0 run. Ontario Harper added a layup and a dunk to give Mississippi State (16-5, 6-4 SEC West) a six-point lead, offsetting a meaningless layup by the Rebels' David Sanders at the buzzer.
Justin Reed, who led the Rebels with 18 points, sent the game to overtime with four points in the final 64 seconds of regulation. Austin led the Bulldogs with 19 and was unable to connect on a short shot at the second-half buzzer.
Mississippi State, which won the teams' first meeting this season 58-57 on a last-second layup by Derrick Zimmerman, earned its sixth victory in seven games since a three-game losing streak in January.
Mississippi (12-10, 3-8) stayed close in overtime and took a 62-61 lead on a 19-foot shot by Reed on the left wing with 1:06 left.
The Rebels are 0-5 in Starkville under coach Rod Barnes and have not won here since 1998.
