Mississippi State
6-5,0-0SEC
Long Island
6-5,0-0NEC
The Final Horn: State 87, Long Island 83
December 16, 2025 | Men's Basketball
THE BOTTOM LINE: Mississippi State picked up its second-straight win with an 87-83 triumph over Long Island on Tuesday night at Humphrey Coliseum. After a fast start for the Bulldogs, LIU trimmed a nine-point deficit to one as MSU held a 39-38 lead at halftime. The second half was a tight battle as the two teams traded blows down the stretch. In the final minutes, Josh Hubbard contributed nine of the team's last 17 points to seal the victory for State. The other eight points came at the free throw line from Jayden Epps, Quincy Ballard and Shawn Jones Jr., who sank a pair from the charity stripe with 7.9 seconds left to push MSU's lead to 87-83, icing the game for the Dawgs.
KEY NUMBERS: Hubbard led the Bulldogs in scoring with a season-high 34 points. He had five triples on the night. Sergej Macura also turned in a season-high 12 points to go with six boards, two steals and a rejection in the effort. Hubbard, Epps and Achor Achor combined for 17-17 from the charity stripe, which proved to be crucial in the victory. State also got on the boards and outrebounded the Sharks 40-33 to help seal the win.
NEXT UP FOR MSU: The Bulldogs will host Memphis on Saturday, Dec. 20. Tipoff at Humphrey Coliseum is set for 3 p.m., and the game will be televised via ESPN.
