Final: No. 15 Florida 57, Miss State 52

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/clarionledger/status/832239322820706307

"It's crazy," Peters said. "But I just want to stay positive and not negative."

One night last month reinforced that mindset for Peters.

Peters received a phone call from his father, Walter Sterling, during the afternoon on Jan. 11. The plan was for Sterling to attend Mississippi State's game the following week against Kentucky at Humphrey Coliseum and that was the main topic of the conversation. It would be the final time the Bulldogs' starting point guard spoke to Sterling.

Peters' phone, however, would continue to buzz later that night.

Sterling went to a bar in New Orleans that unseasonably warm evening with a couple of friends, Peters said. At some point Sterling said he needed to step outside. Gun shots soon followed.

A family friend first told Peters the sequence of events. Then one of Peters' aunts called him and relayed to her nephew that his father was dead. Sterling was 45. The New Orleans Police Department did not say as of Wednesday if an arrest had been made in connection to the shooting or if an investigation was ongoing.

Sterling's body, according to the New Orleans Police Department, was seen lying unresponsive and with multiple gunshot wounds at around 10:40 p.m. near the intersection of St. Bernard Avenue and Marais Street, seven miles from Landry-Walker, where Peters graduated high school.

"It didn't feel real," Peters said. "It didn't hit me until the next morning, for real. I was still in shock. I couldn't believe it at the time."

Peters then called his former New Orleans Elite AAU coach, Antoine Bird, who also is an assistant at Landry-Walker. Peters was looking for further confirmation, and other details Bird may be able to provide.

"He was emotional and it was tough," Bird said. "I kind of paused because I already knew. It was hard to break it to him. It was really hard."

Kevin Brockway ‏@gatorhoops 12h12 hours ago

Beth Mowins and Dalen Cuff will call Saturday's Florida-Mississippi State game for ESPN (2 p.m. tip).


Gotta give Miss State credit for battling on defensive end with shots not falling.


https://twitter.com/gatorhoops/status/833138839753474049

Florida had made such strides in ball movement, but a 5 to 16 assist-to-turnover against Mississippi State was ugly and nearly cost the Gators the game. For as well as Chris Chiozza played offensively, he had a too-cute pass that center Kevarrius Hayes wasn't expecting, which resulted in a turnover and a runout Mississippi State basket. Point guard Kasey Hill had six turnovers and has turned it over 15 times in his last three games. It's rare to see the Gators get outscored in points off turnovers, but Mississippi State did to a 17-9 clip.