Mississippi State
9-2,0-0SEC
North Texas
5-5,0-0AAC
State Uses Dominant Second Half to Down North Texas
December 17, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
Dawgs win 72-54.
TUPELO, Miss. – Mississippi State (9-2) roared back from an early deficit to soundly defeat North Texas (5-5) by a score of 72-54 at Cadence Bank Arena in Tupelo.
The Bulldogs struggled through the first few minutes of the game, going 0-for-7 from the floor while the Mean Green made each of their first five buckets, but State wouldn't be denied and fought through its sluggish start to earn the lopsided victory.
"I thought we were really engaged defensively to start the game [and] they made some really tough shots," State head coach Chris Jans said. "I wasn't disappointed in the huddle at all. I mean, one time I looked up and [we were down] 7-1 and I'm like, 'It feels like we're leading the game with our effort and the way we were executing."
After falling behind by as many as 11 points, the Dawgs went on a 14-2 run in the final three minutes of the first half and took the lead with just under one minute remaining on a 3-pointer by freshman Josh Hubbard.
Jans explained how his student-athletes were able to overcome the early adversity and take control on the court.
"I just thought they kind of stayed the course defensively, and then obviously, as the game unfolded, our athleticism and our speed and our size got into the game," Jans said.
State went into the locker room with a 36-32 advantage following a monstrous dunk by KeShawn Murphy just before the halftime buzzer sounded. The redshirt sophomore provided a big spark for the Bulldogs and surpassed his previous career high with 12 points in the first half alone.
"Obviously we struggled on the offensive end, and I had the skillset to be able to help the team, so any open looks I had, I took the shot and we had the advantage," Murphy said.
MSU continued to ride the momentum heading back out onto the court after halftime. DJ Jeffries scored six quick points, and the team cruised with contributions from everyone in Maroon and White. Defensively, the Dawgs were able to limit UNT to just five field goals in the second half and forced 16 turnovers in the contest while committing just three of their own.
"We just kept playing defense," Jeffries said. "We started scoring a little more. Like Coach Jans told us this whole week, just play harder than them."
Jans had high praise for his veteran forward — who led the second-half charge on both ends of the court — following the game.
"[Jeffries] is playing how we envisioned him playing, and he's in a great space right now," Jans said. "He's just getting deeper in the paint. He's driving it in there."
Murphy ended his career night with 18 points, while Jeffries finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. Matthews had a team-high 12 rebounds and neared a triple-double performance with nine points and seven assists to go along with five steals and three blocks. Hubbard added 11 points, marking his 10th consecutive game scoring in double figures.
Up next, Mississippi State will travel to New Jersey to face Rutgers in the Gotham Classic. The game is set to begin at 11:00 a.m. CT on Saturday, December 23, and will air on the Big 10 Network.
