Postgame Notes: State vs. Central Michigan

TEAM NOTES

Mississippi State won its fourth game in a row to move to 10-1 as the Bulldogs used an early second half run to fuel an 83-59 rout of Central Michigan during Wednesday's Magnolia Madness at Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.
The Bulldogs grabbed the win during the first matchup between the two programs.
The Maroon and White ripped off 51 points during the second half which is the fifth time this season that State has scored at least 50 points after halftime.
The Bulldogs also made 22 field goals during the second 20 minutes which is a program record under Coach Jans.
State advanced to 2-0 in games under Coach Jans in Jackson and are 28-10 all-time in Mississippi's capital city. The Bulldogs have won 19 of their last 21 games in Jackson going back to the 1985-86 season
State reused a starting five combination for only the second time this season. The Harris Jr., Hubbard, Melendez Matthews and Nwoko starting five also began the UNLV game on 11/28.
The Bulldogs are now 33-5 in games against non-SEC opponents during the Coach Jans era.
State committed a season's low five turnovers which included only two in the second half. The five turnovers are the second-lowest mark under Coach Jans as the Bulldogs registered three turnovers against North Texas on 12/17/2023.
The Maroon and White is now 4-1 on the season and moved to 17-6 in games at neutral sites with Coach Jans.
State registered 24 assists on 35 field goals which marked the third-most dimes during the Chris Jans era
The Bulldogs moved to 4-0 this season and 26-2 under Coach Jans when holding its opponent to under 60 points.
State advanced to 4-0 this season and 13-3 overall during the month of December under Coach Jans.
The Maroon and White advanced to 6-0 on the season and 40-5 under Coach Jans when leading at halftime.
The Bulldogs have won all five games in 2024-25 and are now 43-7 under Coach Jans when shooting a higher field goal percentage than their opponent.
State won the rebounding battle for the eighth time in 11 games this season with a 42-34 advantage. The Bulldogs are 8-0 this season and 42-12 during the Chris Jans era when accomplishing the feat.
The Bulldogs scored 22 of its 35 field goals on the interior en route to a 44-16 advantage in paint points.
State forced 11 turnovers by Central Michigan and was able to convert 16 of the game's 23 points off takeaways. The Maroon and White has outscored its opponent this category during nine of 11 games on the season.
The Bulldogs got out in transition and converted 16 of the game's 24 fastbreak points.
State outscored the Chippewas 20-12 in points off second chance opportunities.
As a team, State connected on 35-71 from the field (49.3 percent), notched a 11-for-29 clip from three-point territory (37.9 percent) and sank 2-of-7 at the foul line (28.6 percent).
It marked the 11th time that the Bulldogs have drained 10+ three-pointers under Coach Jans. State is 10-1 when accomplishing the feat.
Conversely, Central Michigan recorded a 20-58 shooting effort (34.5 percent), hit on 8-of-26 of its three-pointers (30.8 percent) and knocked down 11-12 at the charity stripe (91.7 percent).

PLAYER NOTES

Josh Hubbard

Started his 25th consecutive game over the last two seasons.
Recorded 11 points to go along with three dimes, three boards and a block.
Notched double figures in 20 consecutive games dating back to the Ole Miss game on 02/21/2024 and for the 41st time in 46 career games.
Compiled 796 points in his career, which is second in school history for freshmen and sophomores through 46 career games. He trails only Ray White who amassed 811 points during the 1975-76 and 1976-77 seasons.
Buried at least one trey in 24 straight games dating back to the Georgia game on 02/07/2024. The 24-game run is the fifth-longest streak in program history.
Drained multiple triples for the 40th time in his 46-game career at State.
Dished out multiple assists in 10 out of 11 games this season.

Claudell Harris Jr.

Made his 4th start this season and the 68th of his career.
54 of his 68 starts have come over his last three seasons.
Returned to State's starting five for the first time since the UNLV game on 11/28.
Recorded a game-high 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting ignited by five three-pointers.
Led State in scoring for the first time this season.
Double figures in three of his last four games and for the 6th time this season where State has posted a 6-0 record.
His 77th career outing with 10+ plus.
Hit 5-plus three's for the 2nd time this season and on the 8th occasion for his career.
Drained multiple trifectas for the fourth straight game, on the 8th occasion this season and his 67th time in his career.
Added four rebounds, two steals and an assist.
Swiped multiple steals for the 3rd time this season and for the 27th occasion of his career.

Cameron Matthews

Started in 77 of the team's last 80 games over the last three seasons.
Competed in his school-record 144th game.
Stuffed the stat sheet with 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
Totaled a +18 plus/minus rating which gives him a cumulative +620 plus/minus rating over 80 games with Coach Jans at the helm.
Netted a positive plus/minus rating in 10 of 11 games this season and has piled up 31 career outings with at least a +10 mark.
The 2 takeaways give Matthews 220 steals for his career which continues to build on his school record which he set during the McNeese game on 12/14.
The 10 rebounds give Matthews 723 for his career, which propels him past Jerry Graves (1959-60-61) for 13th place in program history.
Led State in rebounding for the 5th time in 2023-24 and for the 31st occasion in his career.
State is 5-0 this season when Matthews leads the team on the glass.
Hauled in at least 10 boards for the 18th time in his career.
Notched his 10th game this season and his 64th career outing with multiple steals.
Dished out at least five assists for the 15th time in his career where State has posted a cumulative 11-4 record.

RJ Melendez

Made his fifth start in State's last six games and his 32nd career start.
Added six points to go along with four boards, three steals and two assists.
Swiped multiple steals for the 4th time this season and the 22nd occasion in his career.
Recorded multiple dimes in four games this season and his 20th career outing.

Michael Nwoko

Made his eighth straight start and his 10th career start between State and Miami.
Cashed in the first point of the game on a free throw.
Tied his career-high with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting while hauling down seven rebounds, an assist and a rejection.
Notched double figures for the 4th time in his career, all coming this season.
Racked up 10-plus points in four of his last five outings where he has averaged 12.2 points per game.
The eight field goals made are a career-best for Nwoko.
His 7th outing this season and the 12th career game with at least five boards.

Bench

State's bench outscored the Chippewas bench by a 29-9 margin.
The Bulldogs have outscored their opponent in eight of 11 games this season.
Riley Kugel recorded nine points coupled with three rebounds and two dimes.
His 3rd game this season and his 25th career game with multiple assists.
KeShawn Murphy added six points followed by six boards, three assists and two blocks.
Nine of his 17 efforts with 5+ rebounds have come this season.
Recorded multiple dimes for the 5th time this season and the 14th occasion of his career.
Four of his seven outings with multiple blocks have come in 2024-25.
Shawn Jones Jr. added six points with three assists, a steal and a rebound.
Impacted the game with a team-high +28 plus/minus rating.
His 13th career game with multiple dimes.
Dellquan Warren buried a triple and snagged two boards as well as an assist.
Martavious Russell recorded five points while hauling down a rebound and adding a block.
The 2nd time this season and 4th occasion during his career where Russell has provided 5+ points.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Postgame Notes: State vs. Central Michigan

Players Mentioned

Cameron Matthews

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