Mississippi State
9-1,0-0SEC
McNeese
5-5,0-0Southland
The Final Horn: No. 25 State 66, McNeese 63
December 14, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
A quick rundown of MSU’s win over the Cowboys.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Just a couple of hours after Mississippi State women's basketball pulled off a come-from-behind win on the hardwood at Cadence Bank Arena on Saturday, the men provided a sequel for the fine folks in attendance in Tupelo. No. 25 MSU trailed by eight in the first half against McNeese and the Bulldogs also found themselves down with less than five minutes to play, however the Maroon and White's resilience was on full display once again as State emerged with a 66-63 triumph. A pair of Cameron Matthews free throws with 4:47 left gave MSU a lead it never relinquished, and RJ Melendez brought down a crucial offensive rebound with 12 seconds left to play in what was a one-possession game before hitting a pair of his own from the charity stripe that essentially locked down the victory. It was a nip-and-tuck affair throughout, featuring seven ties and seven lead changes, but ultimately the Bulldogs found a way to improve to 9-1 for the season.
KEY NUMBERS: Melendez not only claimed the biggest board of the game, but he also led the Bulldogs with a team-high 18 points. Per usual, Josh Hubbard was once again key for State with his 16 points, 10 of which came in the second half. Arguably though, free throws decided the ballgame. State scored 23 of its points from the line and got there 16 more times than McNeese. Meanwhile, the Cowboys were just 10 of 17 from the stripe.
NEXT UP FOR THE DAWGS: Mississippi State stays on the road but remains in its home state. MSU will travel down to Jackson and battle Central Michigan on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Tip time is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Mississippi Coliseum and the game will be streamed via SEC Network+.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Nwoko Slams It Home! #HailState🐶 || 📺: https://t.co/wc955Mneko pic.twitter.com/f9T7tbVUri
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 14, 2024
𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐂𝐊! 🔥
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 15, 2024
State closes out the half on a 13-3 run! #HailState🐶 || 📺: https://t.co/wc955Mneko pic.twitter.com/iGWkduHxDz
Throw it up and throw it down! 🔨#HailState🐶 || 📺: https://t.co/wc955Mneko pic.twitter.com/BjO7ENJvGv
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 15, 2024
Clear the lane, @RileyKugel is flying in! #HailState🐶 || 📺: https://t.co/wc955Mneko pic.twitter.com/nT321cgxwJ
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 15, 2024
.@MelendezRamses 👌#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/Ovh8gng8yv
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 15, 2024
Count it! #HailState🐶 || 📺: https://t.co/wc955Mneko pic.twitter.com/BV7TGxyJGm
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 15, 2024
𝐃𝐀𝐖𝐆𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐍!#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/TDprVc5C37
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 15, 2024
