STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State stars Victoria Vivians and Morgan William were at their best during the 10th-ranked Bulldogs 79-68 victory over No. 8 Texas on Sunday.That wasnt a surprise. Its what the Bulldogs did without those two on the floor that turned some heads.William scored 23 points and Vivians added 19, but it was a second-quarter run largely led by the teams reserves that helped put the Longhorns away.Our kids, that second quarter, really answered the bell and got after it, Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer said. We got some real critical stops and then we really were attacking the rim.Mississippi State (4-0) pulled away in the second quarter thanks to some valuable minutes from the bench -- especially backup guards Roshunda Johnson and Jazzmun Holmes -- and a suffocating defense that held the Longhorns without a field goal for the final 9:40 of the half.The Bulldogs had a 26-9 advantage in the second quarter to turn a tie game into a 42-25 halftime lead. Johnson had seven points and Holmes added three during the run while Vivians and William were their biggest cheerleaders on the sideline.Everybodys stepped their game up, Vivians said. Everybody can go to the basket. Everyone can score.Texas (1-2) had 15 turnovers in the first half and 24 in the game.We got a little frantic in some situations, Texas coach Karen Aston said.Brooke McCarty led Texas with 19 points, and Ariel Atkins added 18. Texas lost despite shooting a respectable 27 of 56 from the field (48.2 percent) and outrebounded the Bulldogs 36-26.The Longhorns pulled within 48-40 in the third quarter, but couldnt get any closer.There were a whole lot of positives, Aston said. Even the turnovers, most of them were in the first half. We pulled within in eight points, but then we forced some things. Young kids trying to make something happen every possession.William shot 5 of 11 from the field and 13 of 14 from the free-throw line while also adding six rebounds and three steals. Dominique Dillingham added 10 points for the Bulldogs.INSTANT OFFENSEMississippi State played 10 players on Sunday, including nine who were on the roster last season. The only new player was Johnson, a 5-foot-7 junior guard who transferred from Oklahoma State and sat out last season.Shes been excellent so far this season, averaging nearly 12 points per game as a consistent scoring option with the second team off the bench.BIG PICTURETexas: Its been a tough start to the season for Texas, which has now lost two of its first three games. Both of those losses -- against Stanford and Mississippi State -- came against good teams, but they provide ample evidence that the Longhorns have some work to do to be among the nations elite.Mississippi State: The Bulldogs lost to Texas in Austin last season, but won against the Longhorns with relative ease on their home court. Vivians -- who is inarguably the teams best scorer -- had a solid game, but it was the consistent production from others like William, Dillingham, Chinwe Okorie and the bench that was most important for Mississippi State.LIMPING SCHAEFERSchaefer was noticeably limping during the second half of the game, and the coach said he believed it was his due to a case of gout in his feet. Vivians and William had to nearly carry Schaefer into the postgame press conference.UP NEXTTexas: The Longhorns return home to face Northwestern State on Wednesday.Mississippi State: The Bulldogs face Oregon on Friday in the opening round of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Tournament in Honolulu on Friday.----Follow David Brandt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAPTrent Dilfer Jersey . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. Vic Washington Jersey . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. http://www.custom49ersjersey.com/custom-deforest-buckner-jersey-large-2598d.html . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. Chris Doleman Jersey .C. -- Todd Fiddler scored a hat trick, including the overtime goal, as the Prince George Cougars survived an 8-7 win against the Kamloops Blazers in Western Hockey League play Sunday. Patrick Willis Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A win is a win is a win. But when a 24-point, second-half lead shrinks to five, and youre outrebounded by eight, a victory doesnt feel quite as satisfying, especially at home.But survive is what Syracuse did Saturday.Andrew White scored a season-high 26 points and Frank Howard had 10 points, a career-high 13 assists and just two turnovers to lead No. 22 Syracuse to a 77-71 victory over North Florida on Saturday.Syracuse (5-2) survived North Florida (3-7) despite nearly blowing a 56-32 lead with just over 12 minutes left. Dallas Moore, who scored 31 points against Florida on Thursday, led the Ospreys comeback with a 30-point effort, including 22 in the second half, many of those points coming on NBA-range 3-pointers.Freshman Tyus Battle, inserted into the starting lineup for the first time this season by coach Jim Boeheim, had a career-high 19 points, 16 in the second half. Dajuan Coleman had a career-high 15 points.We established a 24-point lead, and played very well to get to that point, but we gave it back, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. We got some people in the game and they werent ready to play. It got real close. Thats what happens when youre not ready to play and compete. Thats disappointing. Our bench and rebounding have got to be better.The Orange were outrebounded 41-33.In particular, Boeheim was referring to guard John Gillon and forwards Tyler Roberson, a senior who lost his starting slot to Battle, and freshman Taurean Thompson.White, a fifth-year transfer from Nebraska, has scored in double figures in all seven games. He hit 7 of 13 from beyond the 3-point line. Battle was 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.I thought we fought harrd, Moore said.ddddddddddddAt the 12-minute mark (down 56-32) we just decided to keep fighting, keep fighting and thats what we did. Defending and rebounding, that was the key. As long as we defend and rebound we can beat a lot of teams.And Moore hitting NBA 3s after adjusting to the expansive confines of the Carrier Dome.Their zone is different, I normally cant shoot from out there but those guys are so long. Its the best 2/3 zone Ive ever seen but down the stretch we got it going to cut the lead, he said. And the background is different, I was shooting long at first. I just had to see the ball going in a few times. But I adjusted and my teammates found me, and I started knocking down shots.Moores 3-pointer brought the Ospreys to 73-68 with just over a minute to go but three foul shots by Howard and another by Battle sealed the win for the Orange.BIG PICTURENorth Florida: Despite being ranked 305th nationally in defensive efficiency, the Ospreys hung in with Syracuse.Syracuse: Coming off losses to South Carolina and Wisconsin, the Orange continued to look sluggish, particularly on the offensive end in the first half, then got lazy defensively in the second. If not for White, Syracuse would be in much worse shape.POLL IMPLICATIONSNo. 22 Syracuse is sure to be missing from the Top 25, following Tuesdays loss at Wisconsin and Saturdays struggle against North Florida.UP NEXT:North Florida has week off before hitting the road against Arkansas.Syracuse meets up with former Big East rival UConn on Monday night at Madison Square Garden. ' ' '