Mississippi State
10-1,0-0SEC
Central Michigan
5-5,0-0MAC
The Final Horn: State 83, Central Michigan 59
December 17, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
A quick rundown of MSU’s win over the Chippewas.
THE BOTTOM LINE: It took Mississippi State just a second to find its footing on Tuesday night down in Jackson, but once the Bulldogs did, a rout was on as MSU cruised to an 83-59 triumph over Central Michigan. The fans at Mississippi Coliseum saw State fall down 7-1 just a couple of minutes into the contest, but from there, a 21-3 run for the Dawgs put them in complete control and the Chippewas never really recovered. MSU went into halftime with a 32-25 advantage, then scored the first 14 points after the intermission and coasted from there. It was, in all, a dominant showing for the Dawgs, who moved to 10-1 this season.
KEY NUMBERS: Claudell Harris Jr.'s hot hand was instrumental in putting Mississippi State in the driver's seat in this one. Harris hit four of his night's five 3-pointers in the first half. His first trey tied the game at 7-all. Then his second one, just over a minute later, gave MSU a 10-7 edge and the Dawgs led the rest of the way. Harris finished with a team-high 19 points for State. Two other Bulldog teammates joined him in double figures as Michael Nwoko scored 18 and Josh Hubbard tallied 11. Cameron Matthews led State with his 10 boards as the Bulldogs won the rebounding battle 42-34. In fact, it was a good night near the rim for MSU all around. State outscored Central Michigan in the paint 44-16.
NEXT UP FOR THE DAWGS: A tough road test awaits the Bulldogs. Mississippi State will head to Memphis and battle the Tigers at FedEx Forum on Saturday, Dec. 21. Tip time is set for 11:30 a.m. and the game will be televised by CBS.
HIGHLIGHTS:
1H || Under-8 Timeout (7:39)
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 18, 2024
𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄 » 24
Central Michigan » 12
Mike slams it home for two and the Dawgs are up a dozen!#HailState🐶 || 📺: https://t.co/MliOA8sLzK pic.twitter.com/VeOBWt8alj
Mama, there goes that man Claudell again 🔥#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/qhx8YMzW0P
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 18, 2024
Defense ➡️Offense (²)#HailState🐶 || 📺: https://t.co/MliOA8sLzK pic.twitter.com/GSuS7VOADK
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 18, 2024
We are running a 2-for-1 special on @MichaelNwoko2 highlights!
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 18, 2024
Mike is up to a career-high 18 points! #HailState🐶 || 📺: https://t.co/MliOA8sLzK pic.twitter.com/VMnHDA3klP
𝐃𝐀𝐖𝐆𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐍!#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/O8dMsqioOt
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 18, 2024
