Mississippi State
17-7,5-6SEC
#3 Florida
21-3,8-3SEC
The Final Horn: No. 3 Florida 81, No. 22 State 68
February 11, 2025 | Men's Basketball
A quick rundown of the action as MSU falls to the Gators.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Mississippi State went toe to toe with No. 3 Florida for the first 20 minutes of action on Tuesday night, taking a one-point lead into halftime. However, the No. 22 Bulldogs were unable to overcome a slow start to the second half and ultimately fell to the Gators 81-68 at the Humphrey Coliseum. Florida went on a 20-2 run out of the intermission to take control of the contest. From that point, State couldn't claw back into the game. The loss drops MSU to 17-7 overall and 5-6 in Southeastern Conference play this season. Florida improved to 21-3 overall and 8-3 in league action.
KEY NUMBERS: Turnovers turned the game on its head. State had 15 of them total with six of them coming in just over a four-minute stretch at the start of the second half. Florida capitalized in that span to go from down one to up 14. The Gators scored 20 of their 81 total points off of Bulldog turnovers. In defeat, Josh Hubbard and KeShawn Murphy again had strong showings for State. Hubbard led the Dawgs with 19 points including four 3-pointers. Murphy had a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds that helped MSU win the battle of the boards 43-32.
NEXT UP FOR THE DAWGS: Mississippi State is set for another showdown against its rival. MSU faces a road test at Ole Miss on Saturday, Feb. 15. Tip time at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion is set for 5 p.m. CT and the game will be televised by ESPN2. State defeated Ole Miss 84-81 in overtime earlier this season.
