Mississippi State
14-7,3-5SEC
Ole Miss
18-3,5-3SEC
State Falls Just Short At Ole Miss
January 30, 2024 | Men's Basketball
Dawgs drop 86-82 decision to Rebels.
OXFORD, Miss. – Mississippi State made a late run in the second half but came up short in the final seconds of the game, falling to Ole Miss 86-82 on Tuesday night at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion.
The Bulldogs now sit at 14-7 overall and 3-5 in Southeastern Conference play.
Josh Hubbard orchestrated a Bulldog offense that got off to a hot start in the first half by connecting on 50 percent of its field goal attempts. The freshman from Madison, Mississippi, scored 16 of his 21 points before the break, draining two 3-pointers and converting a pair of and-ones in the lane.
Hubbard battled the Ole Miss backcourt of Jaylen Murray and Matthew Murrell, who scored 21 and 20 points respectively with T.J. Caldwell scoring 18 and hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers. Mississippi State led by as many as seven in the first half, but the Rebels closed the frame by making their final six field goal attempts, including a trey at the buzzer by Murray to make it 39-39.
Ole Miss ran out to a 51-41 lead in the first five minutes of the second half, continuing their hot finish to the first period by going 5-for-6 from the field during that stretch.
The Bulldogs didn't quit in the high-flying second half and got the score back to 71-69 with 6:35 to play after a three from Hubbard. Cameron Matthews scored 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting while Dashawn Davis provided a season-high 15 points by way of a pair of triples and an and-one. Shakeel Moore rounded out Mississippi State's offensive effort with 14 points.
Davis and Hubbard traded buckets with Murray and Murrell during the final stretch of the game, which saw the Rebels hold an 84-82 lead on State's final possession. Matthews drove to the cup and was fouled on his game-tying layup attempt with four seconds remaining. However, he was unable to convert his free throws while Caldwell drained a pair down the other end to seal the game for Ole Miss.
Ole Miss shot 50.8 percent from the field, was 6-for-15 from deep and 7-for-9 from the free-throw line while Mississippi State converted 53.6 percent of its field goals and shot 8-for-18 from long range and 14-for-20 from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs controlled the glass by outrebounding the Rebels 38-35, but Ole Miss won the turnover battle 15-7.
Mississippi State will attempt to bounce back on Saturday night when they'll take on Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Tip time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network.
