STARKVILLE – There were few positives for Mississippi State on Wednesday night, but one of them was point guard Trivante Bloodman.

The sophomore notched a career-high 13 points in MSU’s 78-36 loss to Missouri. He made 4 of 7 shots and attacked the basket more than usual, and he made 4 of 6 at the free throw line, too.

“Usually I don’t really attack that much, so when I seen the gap, I’ve been attacking, and that’s how I was getting to the basket and getting my points,” Bloodman said.

He’s now averaging 6.2 points per game.

The Steele question

MSU played without junior guard Jalen Steele for the second consecutive game, as he continues to serve an indefinite suspension for a violation of team rules. Will he be back for Saturday’s game at LSU?

“No idea yet,” coach Rick Ray said, and he left it at that.

Steele is averaging 9.3 points per game, third most on the team.

Player of the game

Trivante Bloodman was the only Bulldog in double figures and had three steals. But, he had four turnovers and no assists.

Quotable

“You would hope that guys would have some pride in themselves and Mississippi State basketball, want to go out and try to rectify that. If that’s not enough, then we’ve got problems.” – MSUcoach Rick Ray, on motivation for the rest of the season.

Next game

MSU is back on the road Saturday to take on LSU (4 p.m., ESPNU). The Tigers won 69-68 in Starkville on Feb. 2.