Gordon's heroics lift 'Dogs past 'Cats, into SEC semis

	Mississippi State guard Jamont Gordon (26 points) forced OT with a 3-pointer before the buzzer. He also collected 11 rebounds. AP
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ATLANTA -- Jamont Gordon stole the ball, protected it, then hurled it toward the Georgia Dome roof. The ballgame was over, and Mississippi State still had life, thanks to its sophomore star.

Mississippi State advanced to the SEC quarterfinals with a draining 84-82 overtime victory over perennial SEC tourney boss Kentucky. The Bulldogs blew a 14-point second-half lead, pulled off a mini-miracle to get things to overtime and then gutted out five more minutes to extend some hope that an NCAA bid may be in the offing, after all, for a team left for dead in February.

Gordon made the difference for Mississippi State, hitting a 3 at the buzzer in regulation to force overtime and finishing with 26 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals, including the game-clincher.

"We had some people in foul trouble, and I knew I had to step up my game," Gordon said.

Specifically, it was sidekick Charles Rhodes, the 6-foot-8 postman who was saddled with foul trouble all day while trying to contain Kentucky's Randolph Morris (29 points, 18 free throw attempts). Without Rhodes, State loses a valuable option, leaving Gordon to do more.

"(Gordon) understands when to push on the gas, when to let up," said a hoarse Bulldogs coach Rick Stansbury after Mississippi State avenged an earlier loss to Kentucky. "It's very obvious now when you're playing without Charles Rhodes, there's times that he has to do more."

The loss sent Kentucky home in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament for the first time since 2002, leaving 'Catlanta' to the rest of the league.

"You know how important it is when you play Kentucky, with all the success they've had in this tournament and all the fans they have, just how big it is for your program," Stansbury said. "Our kids never gave up when things looked bleak."

Bleak might be an understatement. Kentucky scratched out a 75-73 lead and had an opportunity to ice the game with Jody Meeks at the line for two shots with five seconds left. Meeks drained the first, but the Wildcats were then whistled for a lane violation before Meeks got an opportunity to shoot his second shot. UK's Sheray Thomas left his spot along the lane and tried to head toward midcourt after Meeks received the ball.

"We probably needed to get a guy off the lane," Kentucky coach Tubby Smith explained after the game. "I said to Sheray to get back and I didn't see the official pass (Meeks) the ball. It was probably my fault."

Suddenly, Mississippi State had a pulse, down three with the ball.

"That was luck, I guess, and they paid for it," Gordon said.