MSU team plane makes emergency landing after win at Missouri

The Mississippi State men's basketball team spent Saturday night in Festus, Missouri after its plane lost the use of one of its engines and was forced to make an emergency landing, according to a university spokesperson.

The plane landed safely in St. Louis and the team exited the plane without any injuries after the engine malfunctioned, sports information director Gregg Ellis said.

Mississippi State plans to bus back to Starkville today to complete its trip home from Columbia, Missouri.

A replacement plane was supposed to depart from Kentucky Saturday night to bring Mississippi State back home. Instead, it couldn't leave due to strong winds. The issues extended finding a hotel room as well.

According to Ellis, hotels increased their rates around St. Louis due to Mardi Gras.

The issue with the original plane occurred as the Bulldogs left Columbia, Missouri and were en route to Golden Triangle Airport in Columbus.

Mississippi State's charter, flown by Aerodynamics (ADI), left Columbia Regional Airport at 7:05 p.m. It landed at Lambert Airport in St. Louis at 7:43 p.m., according to flightaware.com.

After deboarding the plane in St. Louis, the team remained in a holding room at Lambert Airport.

The Bulldogs beat Missouri earlier in the day, 77-74, to capture their fifth Southeastern Conference win of the season -- the most under coach Rick Ray.

Mississippi State isn't the only men's basketball team to have trouble flying Saturday night. Oregon State's flight returned to LAX after a scorpion bit a passenger.

The Beavers beat the Bulldogs, 59-49, earlier this season in Corvallis, Oregon.