Mississippi State
14-3,2-2SEC
#1 Auburn
16-1,4-0SEC
The Final Horn: No. 1 Auburn 88, No. 15 State 66
January 14, 2025 | Men's Basketball
A quick rundown of the action as MSU drops decision to the Tigers.
THE BOTTOM LINE: A blistering hot start for No. 1 Auburn proved to be too much for No. 15 Mississippi State to overcome on Tuesday night as the Tigers topped the Bulldogs 88-66 at Auburn's Neville Arena. The Tigers scored the game's first 10 points, and the Dawgs were left playing catch-up for the rest of the evening. Auburn's early surge led to a 46-27 halftime advantage and the Tigers later stretched their lead to as many as 26 points in the final period. And while MSU battled its way back to within 13 with just under five minutes left, the Dawgs were unable to complete what would have been an incredible comeback. With the defeat, State falls to 14-3 overall and 2-2 in Southeastern Conference play this season.
KEY NUMBERS: Auburn shot 55 percent as a team, including a 58.6 percent mark over the first 20 minutes of action to put State behind early. A lot of Auburn's success came from three-point range. The Tigers went 7-for-13 (53.8 percent) from long distance in the first half and finished the game 10-for-24 (41.7 percent). Meanwhile, the Dawgs were unable to get much of anything going beyond the arc, going 3-for-24 (12.5 percent). MSU shot 34.9 percent as a team overall. Still, four State players reached double digits in scoring, led by Josh Hubbard's 17 points. RJ Melendez had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. KeShawn Murphy and Claudell Harris Jr. tallied 11 points apiece.
NEXT UP FOR THE DAWGS: Mississippi State returns home to battle its rival. MSU hosts Ole Miss on Saturday, Jan. 18. Tip time at Humphrey Coliseum is set for 5 p.m. and the game will be televised by ESPN 2.
