By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
March 7, 2004
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. Mississippi State University used every second on the game clock to capture its first outright Southeastern Conference basketball championship in more than 40 years.
Bulldogs senior guard Timmy Bowers scored the winning basket with one second left in overtime to snatch an 82-81 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the final game of the regular season.
The victory gave No. 5 MSU its first outright SEC basketball title since the 1962-1963 season. Mississippi State tied for the SEC basketball championship in the 1990-1991 season.
A large contingent of Mississippi State fans made the trip to Coleman Coliseum for the Alabama game, filling the upper decks of the arena and three other sections to the right of the Bulldog bench.
They watched the team set a record for wins with a 25-2 regular season, including 14-2 in the SEC. MSU posted 24-win seasons in the 1958-1959 and 1961-1962 seasons; it also posted a 13-win SEC record in 1990-1991.
Next up: The SEC basketball tournament, which begins Thursday in Atlanta. Mississippi State is expected to play on Friday.