Postgame Notes: No. 14 State vs. No. 6 Tennessee

TEAM NOTES

No. 14 Mississippi State was unable to grab a signature road win as No. 6 Tennessee came away with a 68-56 decision on Tuesday evening.
It marked State's fourth straight game against an Associated Press Top 25 opponent and only the second time in program history that the Bulldogs have faced four consecutive ranked foes. The only other time came during the 1999-2000 season.
Three of the four ranked opponents were ranked inside the AP's Top 10.
State fell to 15-4 overall and 3-3 in SEC action on the season.
The Bulldogs had their two-game winning streak snapped against Tennessee. Overall, the Volunteers hold a 91-46 all-time series advantage.
Tennessee has been ranked in 12 of the last 13 matchups between the two schools since 2017-18 highlighted by eight times among the top 10.
The Vols started quickly with an 8-0 run and stretched their lead to 34-16 at halftime.
Out of the locker room, State ripped off 15 of the first 19 points of the second half to draw back within 38-31 at the 15:34 mark.
The Bulldogs had a chance to pull within two possessions as a Claudell Harris Jr. triple rimmed in-and-out. Tennessee would answer with a 12-2 spurt of its own and led by double figures the rest of the way.
The Josh Hubbard-Claudell Harris Jr.-RJ Melendez-Cameron Matthews and Michael Nwoko combination started its ninth consecutive game, its 10th overall outing and dropped to 7-3 on the season.
The Bulldogs fell to 8-4 versus NCAA NET Quad 1 and Quad 2 opponents on the season.
State tallied five steals to bring its season total to 182 which sits at fourth place in program history through 19 games.
The Bulldogs also are averaging 81.5 points per game, which is good enough for fifth in program history through 19 games.
State grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and held a slight 14-13 edge in second-chance points. The Bulldogs have outscored their opponent in 18 of 19 games on the season.
As a team, State connected on 19-of-56 from the field (33.9 percent), recorded a 10-33 clip from three point-territory (30.3 percent) and sank 8-of-12 at the foul line (66.7 percent).
Conversely, Tennessee recorded a 23-for-55 shooting effort (41.8 percent), went 10-for-28 on three-pointers (35.7 percent) and knocked down 12-13 at the charity stripe (92.3 percent).

PLAYER NOTES

Josh Hubbard

Started his 33rd consecutive game over the last two seasons.
Recorded 14 points, two rebounds and two dimes.
Notched double figures 18 times this season and in 27 of his last 28 games.
Led State in scoring for the 21st time over 35 starts over the two seasons.
Compiled 911 points for his career, which is second-most for freshmen and sophomores through 54 career games at State. He trails only Ray White from the 1970s with 927 points.
Knocked down multiple triples in 16 of 19 games this season and in 45 of 54 career games.
His four treys bring his career total to 165 which is 11th in program history. He passed Bart Hyche (1996-97-98-99) and Marcus Grant (1992-93-94-95) during tonight's game.
Buried at least one trey in 32 straight games dating back to the Georgia game on 02/07/2024.
The 32-game run is the 2nd longest streak in program history.
Distributed multiple assists in 17 of 19 games this season.

Claudell Harris Jr.

Made his ninth consecutive start, his 12th start this season and the 76th start of his career.
62 of his 76 starts have come over his last three seasons.
Added eight points, grabbed three rebounds and tacked on an assist.
Knocked down multiple trifectas for the 14th time this season and his 73rd career outing.

RJ Melendez

Made his 13th start in State's last 14 games and his 40th start in 109 career games.
Provided 10 points to go along with two boards and two steals.
Extended his streak to five consecutive games in double figures, and his 11th outing on the season with 10+ points which is tied with Claudell Harris Jr. for second on the team.
Averaged 14.0 points per contest over the five-game run.
Collected his 39th career game in double figures.
State is 8-3 on the season, and Melendez's teams are a combined 25-14 when he scores 10+ points over his career.
His 8th game this season and his 26th career outing with multiple steals.

Cameron Matthews

Started in 85 of the team's last 88 games over the last three seasons under Coach Jans.
Competed in his school-record 152nd game.
Added two points, a team-high eight rebounds, two dimes and two steals.
Brought his career total to 242 steals as he continues to build on his school record which he set during the McNeese game on 12/14.
Collected multiple steals for the 15th time this season and in 69 career games.
Led State in rebounding for the 9th occasion this season and for the 35th time in his career.

Michael Nwoko

Made his 16th straight start and his 18th career start between State and Miami over the last two seasons.
Recorded a point in addition to four boards, two blocks and an assist.
All five of his games with multiple rejections have come in Maroon and White this season.

PLAYER NOTES

State's bench outscored the Vols bench by a 21-14 margin.
The Bulldogs have won the battle of the bench points in 14 of 19 games this season.
Riley Kugel notched 12 points with two rebounds, an assist and a steal.
Scored the team's first points with a three-pointer.
Garnered double digit points in five of his last seven appearances where he has amassed 13.4 points per game over those seven outings.
Marked his 9th performance with 10+ points, and his 38th career game in double figures.
State dropped to 7-2 this season when Kugel scores in double figures.
KeShawn Murphy tucked away nine points, four rebounds, an assist and a rejection.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Postgame Notes: No. 14 State vs. No. 6 Tennessee

Players Mentioned

Cameron Matthews

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