Postgame Notes: MSU vs. Rutgers

TEAM NOTES

Mississippi State heads into the holiday break behind another strong second half performance and grinded its way to a hard-fought victory, a 70-60 triumph, over Rutgers to improve to 10-2 on the season.
All square at 29-29 heading into halftime, the Bulldogs ripped off eight of the opening 10 points to begin the second 20 minutes. Jimmy Bell Jr. and Cameron Matthews each tallied four points to put State ahead 37-31 with 15:59 remaining.
Up 39-36 at the 13:27 mark, State got its separation behind a 10-1 spurt to surge ahead by a 49-37 margin with 10:25 to go. The flurry was sparked by a Bell Jr. traditional three-point play and a pair of Matthews dunks.
State took its largest leads, 60-45 after a Dashawn Davis with 5:42 left and at 68-53 on a Shakeel Moore slam during the game's final minute.
The Bulldogs have won all six of their games by an average of 15.7 points per contest this season and improved to 11-3 overall under Coach Jans on neutral floors.
Both Bell Jr. (17 points, 18 rebounds) and Matthews (18 points, 11 rebounds) tucked away double-doubles which marked the first time in 2023-24 that State has had two players record double-doubles in the same game.
Mississippi State and Florida Atlantic are the only teams in the nation to amass six neutral court victories during the 2023-24 season.
The Bulldogs are the lone SEC squad and one of three teams in the country to record at least four non-conference road/neutral wins over Power 5 opponents this season. The Bulldogs are joined by Florida Atlantic and Memphis.
The Maroon and White moved to 8-2 against non-conference Power 6 basketball schools (ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12) under Coach Jans.
Seven of the eight wins have come on the neutral floor with the Bulldogs posting an average of 10.0 points margin-of-victory in those aforementioned road/neutral contests.
Overall, with Coach Jans at the helm, the Bulldogs have won 22 of 26 games against non-SEC opponents and have held 18 of those opponents to 60 points or less. State has posted 16 of the 22 wins by 10+ points.
The Bulldogs have won all three of its decisions versus Big Ten opponents under Coach Jans. State defeated Northwestern and Rutgers in 2023-24 along with Minnesota last season.
The Maroon and White evened the all-time series with Rutgers at 1-1, and the Bulldogs improved to 10-9 versus current members of the Big Ten Conference.
State has won its last three games played inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The Bulldogs knockoff off Clemson (82-71) and Kansas State (67-61) during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, respectively, under Ben Howland.
A key to State's victory was a 47-26 domination in the rebounding battle. The +21 margin matches the largest for State under Coach Jans. The Bulldogs outrebounded Vanderbilt and Pittsburgh last season by a +21 mark.
State has come away with a +10 rebounding advantage during four games this season and on 14 overall occasions over the last two seasons. Overall, the Bulldogs are 4-0 in 2023-24 and are 12-2 when accomplishing the feat under Coach Jans.
In 92 halves over two seasons under the direction of Coach Jans, State has allowed 30 points or fewer on 50 occasions (54.3 percent).
State converted on 22-of-53 from the floor (41.5 percent), connected on 4-of-16 from beyond the three-point line (25.0 percent) and sank an efficient 22-of-26 clip at the charity stripe (84.6 percent).
The Bulldogs have made 20+ free throws four times this season and seven total times during the last two seasons. State is 4-0 in 2023-24 and 6-1 overall under Coach Jans.
Conversely, Rutgers turned in a 23-for-62 shooting effort (37.1 percent), misfired on 17 of its 20 three-pointers (17.6 percent) and notched a 11-for-14 mark from the free throw line (78.6 percent).

PLAYER NOTES

Jimmy Bell Jr.

Started his 46th consecutive game over the last two seasons between Mississippi State and West Virginia. Overall, Bell Jr. has started in 110 of 127 career games.
Fired in a season's best 17 points, hauled down a career-high 18 rebounds and equaled his career-best with 3 blocks.
The 17 points was his second-highest scoring performance only behind his career-high 18 points versus Buffalo while at West Virginia on Dec. 18, 2022.
The 18 rebounds were the second-most recorded by a SEC player this season fueled by 12 boards during the second half.
Registered double figures for the 6th time this season and the 13th time of his career.
State has won all 6 games, while State and West Virginia are a combined 12-1 when Bell Jr. contributes 10+ points.
Marked his 3rd double-double of the season and his 5th career double-double.
Went 6-for-11 on his shot attempts and produced a 5-of-6 mark on foul shots.
6 of his 8 outings with 10+ rebounds, while 7 of his 9 efforts with multiple blocks have come in the Maroon and White this season.
Became the 7th Bulldog to score State's first points in 2023-24 courtesy of a jump hook in the lane.

Cameron Matthews

Started 45 of the team's 46 games over the last two seasons.
Shined with a season-high 18 points to go along with 11 rebounds to collect his 2nd career double-double.
Like Bell Jr., the 18 points for Matthews was his second-highest career scoring effort only behind his career-best 19 points against Memphis in the 2021 NIT Championship Game.
Garnered 10+ points during 4 of his last 5 outings and 6 of his last 8 games going into the holiday break.
Overall, his 7th outing this season and his 18th career outing with double-digit points.
State is 6-1 during the 2023-24 campaign and moved to 15-3 overall when Matthews scores 10+ points.
Racked up 14 of his 18 points on a flawless 4-of-4 mark from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 clip at the foul line during the second half.
The 11 rebounds marked the 2nd time in 2023-24 and the 8th time during his career with 10+ boards.

Dashawn Davis

Started 40 consecutive games and 41 of 43 games at State that he's played in.
Tucked away a season's best with 13 points and 7 assists.
Registered 10+ points for the 5th time this season and the 31st occasion of his career.
Marked the 3rd outing in 2023-24 with 5+ assists and the 32nd time of his career distributing 5 or more dimes.
Added 4 steals, his 6th straight performance with multiple steals.
19 of his 26 steals (73.1 percent) have come during the 6-game run.
Notched 25 of 38 career games with multiple steals over the last two seasons at State.

Shakeel Moore

Earned the nod in the starting five for the 4th straight game, all State victories.
Has made 48 of his 50 career starts at State.
Fired in 10 points, all during the second half, to go along with a season's best 5 rebounds, 2 assists and a career-high 2 blocks.
Registered his 3rd outing of 2023-24 and his 35th career outing in double figures.
Dished out multiple dimes for the 6th time this season and the 60th career occasion.
Moore's lone steal gives him 115 for his career and places him in a 22nd place tie with Greg Carter (1988-89-90-91). He passed Gary Hooker (1976-77-79) during today's game.

D.J. Jeffries

Started 77 of 80 career games at State.
Chipped in 6 points and 6 rebounds, while posting a team-leading +18 over his 34 minutes of action.
During State's four-game winning streak, he has piled up an impressive +89 plus-minus ratio during his time on the floor.
Grabbed 5+ rebounds for the 9th time in 2023-24 and for the 62nd occasion in his career.

Bench

Josh Hubbard posted 2 points and 3 assists which ended his run of 10 consecutive games in double figures.
The 10-game streak was the longest for a State true freshman since Jamont Gordon finished the 2005-06 campaign on a 12-game run.
For the season, Hubbard has notched 178 points which is the 5th-most for a freshman in program history through 12 games and the most since Rickey Brown (1976-77, 243 PTS).
Marked his 6th effort with multiple assists this season.
Led State's bench crew with +11 plus-minus ratio.
Shawn Jones Jr. and KeShawn Murphy rounded out the scoring column with 2 points apiece for the Bulldogs.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Postgame Notes: MSU vs. Rutgers

Players Mentioned

Jimmy Bell Jr.

Dashawn Davis

Josh Hubbard

D.J. Jeffries

Shawn Jones Jr.

Cameron Matthews

Shakeel Moore

KeShawn Murphy

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