Dee Bost and Renardo Sidney led Mississippi State to its first SEC victory of the season. The Bulldogs rallied past in-state rival Mississippi 69-64 on Thursday night in Oxford, Miss.

On a night when SEC leading scorer Ravern Johnson struggled, Bost scored 25 points and Sidney added 24 points. More importantly, they helped the Bulldogs (9-7, 1-1) avoid an 0-2 start in conference play and hand the Rebels (12-5, 0-2) a second straight SEC loss.

Johnson, the SEC’s leading scorer, was held scoreless until hitting a jumper with 7:45 left. He finished with six points.

Mississippi’s Chris Warren hit seven 3-pointers and scored 25 points, moving into first place on the school’s all-time list for made 3-pointers. Warren scored 11 consecutive points for Mississippi in a four-minute span of the second half. His layup made it 54-47 Rebels with 9:50 left.

The Bulldogs fought back, taking a 65-64 lead on Bost’s layup with 2:38 to go. Two Kodi Augustus free throws with 19 seconds left pushed the lead to 67-64. Warren’s 3-pointer with 14 seconds left hit off the front rim.

Warren and Zach Graham each hit three 3-pointers in the first 12 minutes, helping the Rebels build a 27-20 lead. Bost fueled a Mississippi State 9-4 run in the final two minutes, hitting a 3-pointer at the buzzer to bring the Bulldogs within 34-32 at intermission.

Mississippi plays host to Georgia on Saturday. Mississippi State plays host to Auburn on Sunday.