Mississippi State
13-5,2-3SEC
Vanderbilt
5-13,0-5SEC
Dawgs Top Vanderbilt 68-55
January 20, 2024 | Men's Basketball
Tolu Smith III leads the way with a double-double.
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State found success on both ends of the court as it took down conference foe Vanderbilt by a score of 68-55 in Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.
"We were playing a style that, you know, we've been trying to do lately," head coach Chris Jans said. "Trying to play inside-out, get a bunch of paint touches, trying to get to the line and we were doing it. The defense was pretty locked in from the jump."
After a back-and-forth battle through the first few minutes of the game, the Bulldogs used their stout defense to help them pull away quickly and set the tone. State forced the Commodores to shoot just 25.9 percent from the floor and snagged 25 rebounds to the visiting squad's 15 in the opening 20 minutes.
Forward Tolu Smith III asserted his dominance under the goal early, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor for 10 points in the first half alone. State's bench contributed 16 points in the frame, with major buckets coming from freshman Josh Hubbard and 6-foot-10 graduate student Jimmy Bell Jr.
The Dawgs went on a 23-5 run over the course of almost 11 minutes and entered the locker room with a commanding 36-21 lead.
Vanderbilt attempted to make a few runs as the minutes ticked by in the second half, but the Commodores couldn't completely overcome an MSU team that was able to turn defense into offense in the blink of an eye and persevere against the Commodores' rallies.
"I think the main thing that Coach Jans was emphasizing was that we've been here before," Smith said. "We've been here many times and we've just got to fight through, fight back and that's what we did."
Vanderbilt managed to get within 10 points of the lead with just over two minutes remaining in the game, but the Bulldogs stood tall in pressure. Jeffries netted a three and Hubbard powered through tough contact for a layup on State's last two positions to solidify the victory in front of a sold-out crowd.
Smith recorded his second double-double of the season and scored more than 20 points for the third time in just six games. The graduate student totaled 25 points and pulled down 11 boards to lead the team in both areas.
"I think the coaching staff and my team did a great job of getting me and [Jimmy Bell Jr.] the ball," Smith said. "We put a lot of work in on the low block and a lot of work in just in our game in general, so the results showed tonight."
Jeffries did a little bit of everything with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and one of his best defensive performances of the season. Jans reflected on his starting forward's impressive skillset.
"He's a big key for us," Jans said of Jeffries. "He's got great flexibility defensively. He can guard one through four, so it gives us a lot of choices when it comes to that."
Hubbard found the net for 11 points of his own and dished out three assists. It was the Madison, Mississippi, native's 15th game scoring in double-digits for the Maroon and White.
Up next, Mississippi State will travel to the Sunshine State to face Florida at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Tip is set for Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
