Mississippi State
12-1,0-0SEC
Bethune-Cookman
3-10,0-0SWAC
The Final Horn: No. 17 State 87, Bethune-Cookman 73
December 30, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
A quick rundown of MSU’s win over the Wildcats.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Bethune-Cookman gave No. 17 Mississippi State a challenge on Monday night at Humphrey Coliseum, but in the end, the Bulldogs simply proved to be too much for the Wildcats to handle, winning 87-73. MSU led by only six points with just under 10 minutes left to play. Then a KeShawn Murphy layup began a 14-2 State run as the Dawgs surged to an 18-point advantage and led by double figures the rest of the way. The victory moves the Maroon and White to 12-1 this season and State is carrying a ton of momentum into Saturday's upcoming Southeastern Conference opener having won six in a row.
KEY NUMBERS: On a night both offenses found success, it was Mississippi State that proved to have the most firepower. Led by Riley Kugel's 22 points, four different Bulldogs scored 12 or more and six had at least eight points. Josh Hubbard totaled 16, Claudell Harris Jr. and RJ Melendez each notched a dozen, Michael Nwoko accounted for nine and Murphy had eight. State shot 50.8 percent from the field as a team, just a bit better than Bethune-Cookman's 50 percent mark. A couple of difference makers for the evening: MSU sank three more 3-pointers than the Wildcats and scored 24 points off of 17 Bethune-Cookman turnovers. Meanwhile, State turned the ball over just nine times and the Wildcats were only able to capitalize for eight points. Also notable, the triumph over Bethune-Cookman moves MSU head coach Chris Jans to 35-4 in nonconference action since he took over the State program in 2022. That's the most nonconference regular season wins over a three-season span in program history.
NEXT UP FOR THE DAWGS: SEC play begins for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs open up league action by hosting South Carolina on Saturday, Jan. 4. Tip time at Humphrey Coliseum is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be televised by SEC Network.
HIGHLIGHTS:
RJ hits from deep!#HailState🐶 | 📺 @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/NKsxlMoNY5
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 31, 2024
Cam ➡️ RJ = 💰#HailState🐶 | 📺 @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/H3SN6kBgOI
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 31, 2024
RILEY KUGEL 🤯🤯🤯#HailState🐶 | 📺@SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/2cKGwS0CWj
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 31, 2024
Riley Kugel HEAT CHECK 🔥 #HailState🐶 | 📺 @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/BCJeutconE
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 31, 2024
BACK-TO-BACK ALLEY-OOPS ‼️🤯
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 31, 2024
𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄 » 33
BCU » 26#HailState 🐶 | 📺 @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/N45IrzvfyB
Murph ➡️ Cam #HailState🐶 | 📺 @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/wc20cTOF9t
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 31, 2024
Razzle dazzle and the finish ‼️#HailState🐶 | 📺 @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/YS0YJ25lmt
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 31, 2024
Claudell from the corner 🎯#HailState🐶 | 📺 @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/x9AIFvxugp
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 31, 2024
Closed out 2024 with a 𝐃𝐔𝐁‼️#HailState🐶 pic.twitter.com/VdWoN3ebAe
— Mississippi State Men's Basketball (@HailStateMBK) December 31, 2024
