Strong Second Half Lifts Men’s Hoops Past Jackson State, 82-59

Tuesday, December 8

Starkville

8:00 PM

Mississippi State

3-2,0-0SEC

Jackson State

0-1,0-0SWAC

Jackson St.

Mississippi St.

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

Strong Second Half Lifts Men’s Hoops Past Jackson State, 82-59

December 09, 2020 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Quotes (PDF)Video: Coach Howland Postgame Presser Video: Davis and T. Smith Postgame Presser Photo Gallery

by Mikaela Elizondo, Graduate Assistant/Communications

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State men's basketball team used a 26-3 flurry during the last 2:47 of the first half and the opening 4:22 of the second half to collect its third consecutive win, an 82-59 rout of Jackson State, on Tuesday at Humphrey Coliseum.

The Bulldogs (3-2) used a familiar formula with four players in double figures for the third time during their first five games. The victory improved Mississippi State to 40-4 in non-conference home games under Ben Howland.

The Bulldogs owned the paint with a 32-12 advantage and doubled up Jackson State (0-1) by a 50-25 margin in the rebounding battle. State hauled down 20 of the game's 25 offensive rebounds and racked up all 17 of the game's points on second-chance opportunities.

Iverson Molinar matched a career-high 21 points on 8-of-12 from the floor and canned a career-best five three-pointers. He grabbed five rebounds and dished out four assists. Molinar also scored 21 points against Tulane on Nov. 21, 2019.

Tolu Smith provided career-highs of his own with 19 points and 12 rebounds to tuck away his second his double-double of the season. He also was 8-of-12 shooting and connected on 3-of-5 at the foul line. Smith poured in 14 of his 19 points and knocked down all six of his shot attempts during the second half.

D.J. Stewart Jr. tacked on 11 points to join Tolu Smith to extend their runs to five straight games in double figures to start the season.

Javian Davis led Mississippi State's bench with 11 points aided by an 8-for-14 effort at the charity stripe.

Making his 102nd career start, Abdul Ado came away with four points, eight rebounds, two assists and a block. The eight rebounds enabled Ado to surpass Greg Carter (1988-89-90-91) for sole possession of 21st place on the program's rebounding list.

Deivon Smith chipped in five points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Smith's fellow freshmen, Derek Fountain and Andersson Garcia, scored their first career points in the Maroon and White. Andrew Junkin also tacked on his first career bucket on his 21st birthday.

Mississippi State dialed up a 27-for-61 shooting performance (44.3 percent), a 8-of-18 mark on triples (44.4 percent) and a 20-of-33 clip at the free throw line (60.6 percent). The Bulldogs have shot over 55 percent from the field in back-to-back games during the second half.

State had 15 assists against 14 turnovers, while Jackson State notched 12 assists versus 18 turnovers.

The Tigers were 19-of-52 from the floor (36.5 percent), 10-of-24 from three-point territory (41.7 percent) and 11-of-14 on free throws (78.6 percent). Tristan Jarrett, the SWAC Preseason Player of the Year, paced Jackson State with 17 points on 15 shot attempts.

FROM THE BENCH – COACH HOWLAND
"I thought Iverson Molinar got us off to a great start with his shooting. He had our first seven points, all good shots. He was 5-for-7 from the three tonight. Every time he shoots when he's open, I'm thinking it's going in. He's improved more than any player that I've coached since Russell Westbrook between 2007 and 2008. That's how much better he is in every facet of the game from a year ago. We're a completely different team because he's a really good player and gives us another excellent scorer who can really put the ball in the basket and create for others. He had four assists tonight and led us [in that statistic]. He did a lot of outstanding things, and he played good defense. What you're seeing these last two games is what you're going to see every night on a regular basis."

"I thought Javian Davis was more aggressive in the post. When he gets to the line 14 times, that makes me really happy. Any time anybody can get to the line 14 times, they're doing a heck of a job. I thought he was very good on the offensive glass; he got four of them for us. I think he plays good defense. He's a big part of our team, and it's been a huge boost having him join our team. We upgraded when we got him to join the Bulldogs."

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM – TOLU SMITH
"I feel like we have the best front court in the SEC. I feel like it just takes time to work and just be continuous with our work ethic and not being selfish tonight with the ball."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Mississippi State hit on five of its first six shots and used an 8-0 run to turn an early 5-4 deficit into a 12-5 lead at the 16:50 mark of the first half. Iverson Molinar ripped off the team's first seven points sparked by a floater in the lane and a right-wing trey en route to a 13-point opening stanza.

The Tigers answered with 16 of the next 21 points to take a 21-16 edge on a Tristian Jarrett triple with 11:22 remaining.

Trailing 27-24 with 3:26 on the clock, MSU put together a 10-3 spurt to close the half and snatch a 34-30 advantage going into halftime. Jalen Johnson and Molinar buried three-balls during the closing 76 seconds.

The Bulldogs kept the momentum out of the locker room and relied on 16 unanswered points to begin the second 20 minutes to stretch the lead to 50-30 with 15:38 left.

Cameron Matthews ignited the charge with a transition layup courtesy of a Molinar steal and outlet pass. Tolu Smith tacked on a pair of layups highlighted by an and-one, and Javian Davis sank a three-pointer at the top of the key to cap the run.

Mississippi State kept the pressure on and took advantage of JSU's foul trouble to push the lead to its largest of the season, 71-41 at the 6:53 mark, on a pair of D.J. Stewart Jr. free throws.

Derek Fountain, Andersson Garcia and Andrew Junkin recorded their first career baskets to put the finishing touches on an 82-59 decision.

UP NEXT
Mississippi State returns to the road for a neutral site tilt with Dayton on Saturday. The Flyers posted a 29-2 record and finished No. 3 nationally under the direction of Anthony Grant, the reigning National Coach of the Year. Tip time is slated for 11 a.m. CT from State Farm Arena, home of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by searching 'HailStateMBK' on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.