COLLEGE BASKETBALL / NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT : NCAA WEST REGIONAL : Utah’s Path Blocked by Mississippi State

Mississippi State center Erick Dampier missed an uncontested reverse dunk in the closing moments of a second-round game against Utah in the West Regional of the NCAA tournament on Sunday.

But Dampier’s teammates and coaches weren’t especially upset because it was one of the few mistakes the sophomore made in leading the Bulldogs to a 78-64 victory over the Utes before 11,886 at the Boise State Pavilion.

At 6 feet 11, Dampier dominated the inside with 21 points and 10 rebounds and set a school record for blocked shots in the NCAA tournament with eight. He is tied for fourth all-time in the tournament in that category.

“I wanted to come out and dominate,” Dampier said. “They have a lot of big guys, so I wanted to step up and take the challenge.”

Guard Darryl Wilson scored a game-high 32 points and swingman Marcus Grant had 15 for Mississippi State (22-7), which will play UCLA (27-2) Thursday at Oakland.

The Bulldogs, who reached the final 16 for the first time, are in the NCAA tournament for only the third time. Their powerful teams of the late 1950s and early 1960s turned down NCAA bids because of an unwritten rule that Mississippi State couldn’t play integrated teams.

Utah, the Western Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champion, trailed, 23-20, with 4:08 to play in the first half after consecutive baskets by forward Keith Van Horn. The Utes (28-6) finally were in an offensive flow after starting slowly.

However, Dampier disrupted Utah in one short sequence of swift, powerful defense.

First, he blocked consecutive shots by Ute center Ben Melmeth. Van Horn then grabbed the ball after the second block and attempted a layup while standing under the basket and being guarded by Dampier.

Dampier swatted the ball and it ricocheted off Van Horn out of bounds with 2:03 left in the first half. The play sparked a celebration on the court and among the Bulldog fans.

“He’s a very strong, agile player,” Van Horn said. “Obviously, his presence affected us.”

Said Ute Coach Rick Majerus: “He changed the game.”

And not only on defense.

Melmeth and center Michael Doleac couldn’t keep up with Dampier, who continually beat them with quick spin moves in the lane and along the baseline. Dampier made seven of eight shots in the first half en route to 16 points and a 35-22 halftime lead for Mississippi State.

“We tried to play him two ways,” Majerus said. “Melmeth tried to front him and Doleac tried to play him from behind.”

Neither approach proving successful, Majerus decided to double-team Dampier in the second half. Dampier scored only six points after halftime.

Van Horn scored 21 points for Utah, but was only eight of 20 from the field.

“We didn’t play well today, but a large part of why we didn’t play was them,” Majerus said. “They’re quick, they’re strong and they have shot blocking. No matter what we would have done, I don’t think we would have won.”