Sophomore guard Quinndary Weatherspoon scored 22 points and collected six rebounds to help Mississippi State deliver a 78-74 nonconference victory over Norfolk State on Friday in the regular-season opener for both teams at Starkville, Miss.

Freshman guard Tyson Carter scored 17 points and hit 5 of 7 3-point shots for the Bulldogs (1-0). Senior point guard I.J. Ready contributed 14 points and seven assists and sophomore forward Aric Holman had 11 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots.

Junior guard Zaynah Robinson had 21 points, five assists and three steals for the Spartans (0-1). Senior guard Jonathan Wade added 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Mississippi State led by a game-high 12 points after Carter's basket with 5:34 remaining but was unable to put the game away until the final seconds. Norfolk State began its comeback by scoring eight straight points to pull within 74-70 with 1:23 to play.

Junior guard Micah Goss hit a jumper with eight seconds left to bring the Spartans within 76-74 before freshman guard Mario Kegler made two free throws with seven seconds left to make it a two-possession game.

Holman blocked Robinson's shot with two seconds left to seal it.

The first half was close throughout and a 3-pointer by Carter gave Mississippi State a 29-26 lead with five minutes to go.

Robinson followed by scoring seven points during a 9-0 spurt that saw Norfolk State take a 35-29 lead. The Spartans led 39-33 after a 3-pointer from Goss with 1:59 to play before the Bulldogs scored the final six points of the half.

Carter connected on a 3-pointer to start the second half. About 4 1/2 minutes later, Carter and Kegler hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Mississippi State a 52-43 lead.

The Bulldogs led 65-55 after Weatherspoon's dunk with 8:50 left before Norfolk State whittled its way back into the contest.