Mississippi State
14-2,2-1SEC
#6 Kentucky
13-3,2-1SEC
The Final Horn: No. 6 Kentucky 95, No. 14 State 90
January 11, 2025 | Men's Basketball
A quick rundown of the action as MSU drops decision to the Wildcats.
THE BOTTOM LINE: The Humphrey Coliseum was absolutely electric and the sold-out crowd in Starkville was treated to a back-and-forth, high-octane game that lived up to the hype, however No. 14 Mississippi State fell just short to No. 6 Kentucky by a final score of 95-90 on Saturday night. The contest featured seven ties and 13 lead changes, but in the end, it was the Wildcats coming out on top. It was a valiant effort by the Bulldogs in defeat. Once trailing 68-54 in the second half, State stormed back to within two with a 12-0 run. A few minutes later, the Dawgs took the lead when Cameron Matthews and Claudell Harris Jr. treys gave MSU an 80-78 advantage. However, Kentucky put together a run of its own to reclaim the lead, and while State got back within a point on a Josh Hubbard layup with two minutes to go, the Dawgs got no closer and saw their eight-game winning streak snapped. MSU is now 14-2 overall this season and 2-1 in Southeastern Conference play.
KEY NUMBERS: Kentucky's consistent success from three-point range served as a decisive factor in the contest. The Wildcats shot 50 percent from long range, making 16 of their 32 attempts. Jaxson Robinson led Kentucky's long-range barrage, going 7-for-10 from deep on the way to a 27-point evening. Even with Kentucky draining 3s, the Bulldogs punched back all night long, once again showcasing the team's depth in the process. MSU had seven different players score at least eight points and five reached double figures. Matthews did his best to will the Dawgs to a win and had a monster night, coming up only four takeaways short of a triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and six steals. Hubbard scored 15, RJ Melendez added 14, Harris totaled 13 and Michael Nwoko had 10. Riley Kugel and KeShawn Murphy each finished with eight.
NEXT UP FOR THE DAWGS: Mississippi State faces a tough road test. MSU travels to Auburn to battle the Tigers on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Tip time at Neville Arena is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be televised by SEC Network.
