Postgame Notes: MSU vs. Northwestern

TEAM NOTES

Mississippi State won its fifth straight game to improve to 5-0 with a 66-57 victory over Northwestern to secure the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament title.
The Bulldogs have won their opening five outings by an average of 17.2 points per contest.
State won its second consecutive multi-team tournament championship under Coach Jans. The Maroon and White claimed the Fort Myers Tipoff last year with wins over BIG EAST champion Marquette (58-55) and Utah (52-49).
Overall, State has won 17 of 19 games against non-conference opponents and have held 15 of those 19 opponents to 60 points or less under Coach Jans.
The Bulldogs are a flawless 12-0 mark during the month of November in the Jans era.
State improved to 7-1 against fellow non-conference Power 6 basketball schools (ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12) with Jans at the helm.
Six of the seven wins have come on the road or on a neutral floor with the Bulldogs posting an average margin-of-victory 10.0 points in those six aforementioned victories.
Today marked the second meeting between Mississippi State and Northwestern on the hardwood. The Bulldogs have won both meetings over the Wildcats.
After falling behind 15-3 during the game's first eight minutes and trailing 19-9 at the 9:25 mark, State ripped off 18 of the next 28 points to pull within 29-27 at halftime.
The Bulldogs outscored Northwestern by a 39-28 in the second half highlighted by 25 of the game's last 41 points down the stretch.
The Maroon and White went on a crucial 12-1 scoring run from the 6:45 mark to the 3:35 mark of the second half.
State racked up 42 of the game's 50 points off the bench. Over the last three games, the Bulldogs have outscored its opponents, 159-44, in bench points.
State drained 23-of-49 from the floor (46.9 percent), 8-of-22 from three-point territory (36.4 percent) and a 12-of-17 at the charity stripe (70.6 percent).
Thru five games, the Bulldogs have connected on 80-of-105 at the foul line (76.2 percent).
Northwestern registered a 23-for-61 shooting effort (37.7 percent), a 6-for-26 mark on three-pointers (23.1 percent) and a 5-for-7 clip the free throw line (71.4 percent).

PLAYER NOTES

Jimmy Bell Jr.

Started his 39th consecutive game over the last two seasons between Mississippi State and West Virginia.
Overall, Bell Jr. has started in 103 of 120 career games.
Provided four points, four rebounds and two blocks.
The two rejections marked his 3rd multi-block effort in 2023-24 and the 7th of his career.

D.J. Jeffries

Started 70 of 73 career games at State.
Chipped in five points, a team-leading 10 rebounds and three assists.
The 10 rebounds marked his first of 2023-24 and 8th outing of 10+ rebounds in his career.
His 2nd effort in 2023-24 and 29th career performance with 3+ assists.

Cameron Matthews

Started 38 of the team's 39 games over the last two seasons.
Notched four points, eight rebounds and equaled a season-high with four assists.
Collected 28 of his 46 games with 2+ assists and 26 of his 44 games with 5+ rebounds over the last two seasons.

Dashawn Davis

Started 55 of his 64 games during his tenure at Mississippi State and Oregon State over the last three seasons.
Made it back-to-back games in double figures with 11 points sparked by a season's best three treys.
Amassed 10+ points for the 3rd time in 2023-24 and for the 29th occasion during his career.
Sank 2+ three-pointers for the 2nd time this season and for the 12th time in his career.

Trey Fort

Started his fifth consecutive game to open the 2023-24 season.
Picked up a season-high tying four rebounds.

Bench

Josh Hubbard shined with a career-best 29 points, the most for a State player under Coach Jans, to record his fourth straight game in double figures and his second game of 20+ points.
Hubbard came away with a 9-of-14 shooting clip, a 4-of-8 mark from three-point land and was a perfect 7-of-7 on his free throw attempts.
Dating back to the 1988-89 season, the 29 points for Hubbard equal the most scored by a State player off the bench. The only other player to accomplish the feat over the last 30-plus seasons was Tony Watts against Ole Miss on January 24, 1990.
Also since 1988-89, Hubbard joins Brad Smith (1989-90) and Barry Stewart (2006-07) as the only State freshmen to have two performances of 20+ points off the bench.
For the season, Hubbard has buried 15 of his 27 field goals from beyond the three-point line and hit multiple triples in all five games.
Shakeel Moore dialed up eight points for the third straight game and secured three rebounds.
Shawn Jones Jr. added on five points and two rebounds.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Postgame Notes: MSU vs. Northwestern

Players Mentioned

Jimmy Bell Jr.

Dashawn Davis

Trey Fort

Josh Hubbard

D.J. Jeffries

Shawn Jones Jr.

Cameron Matthews

Shakeel Moore

Related Videos