Mississippi State
#11 Auburn
Bulldogs Fall On The Road To No. 11 Auburn
March 02, 2024 | Men's Basketball
State drops a 78-63 decision.
AUBURN, Ala. – A strong first-half showing by Auburn proved to be too much for Mississippi State to overcome on Saturday as the Bulldogs fell 78-63 at Neville Arena. MSU outscored the Tigers 41-39 over the final 20 minutes of play, but it wasn't enough as Auburn took sizable early leads and held off State's comeback attempts.
"We were playing uphill," MSU head coach Chris Jans said. "[We trailed] 8-2, 24-10 and we were down 17 at the half. It just never really felt like we were on solid footing all night long."
State trimmed its halftime deficit down to eight points with 13:28 left to play, however MSU got no closer.
MSU still received productive evenings from multiple Dawgs in defeat.
Five-time Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week Josh Hubbard continued his standout debut season. The rookie led State with 23 points and exceled from long range, making six of his 11 three-point attempts. Hubbard has now scored a total of 89 points over his last three contests – an average just shy of 30 points per game.
Tolu Smith III scored 14 points and hauled down 10 rebounds. It marked the veteran center's seventh double-double of the season.
Shakeel Moore, D.J. Jeffries and Dashawn Davis all scored at least five points for the Bulldogs. Cameron Matthews notched 10 boards, had three assists and got a pair of steals.
Four different Auburn players reached double figures in scoring. The Tigers were led by a 17-point effort from forward Johni Broome.
Mississippi State now turns its attention towards a contest at Texas A&M. The Bulldogs and Aggies tip off at 8 p.m. on Wednesday in a game televised by either ESPN2 or ESPNU.
