The Final Horn: No. 21 Missouri 85, State 73
March 13, 2025 | Men's Basketball
A quick rundown of the action as MSU falls to the Tigers at the SEC Tournament.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Mississippi State and No. 21 Missouri had a nip-and-tuck battle on Thursday night in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. In the end though, a stronger finish by the Tigers pushed them to victory as the Bulldogs dropped an 85-73 decision at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The two teams were tied at 69-all with just over four minutes left to play. That's when Mizzou closed on a 16-4 run to put the game away. The Tigers' 12-point margin of victory wasn't indicative of the close contest that it was. The game featured 17 ties and nine lead changes. The two teams were never separated by more than eight points until the closing minute. MSU trailed 39-34 at halftime then came out of the intermission on an 11-4 run to go in front. The Dawgs and Tigers then traded blows and momentum swings for the rest of the half until the decisive final four-plus minutes of action.
KEY NUMBERS: Between going just 6-for-30 from three-point range and missing eight of 27 free-throw tries, MSU left critical points on the table. Between that and Mizzou's team shooting of just under 50 percent (49.1), it proved to be too big of a hill for State to climb. In the defeat, four Bulldogs scored in double figures led by Josh Hubbard's 24 points. KeShawn Murphy had 18 and just missed out on a double-double with his team-high eight rebounds. RJ Melendez scored 12 points while Shawn Jones Jr. totaled 10.
NEXT UP FOR THE DAWGS: Mississippi State now awaits its March fate. The Bulldogs hope to learn they're dancing for a third straight season during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday, March 16. The show begins at 5 p.m. CT and will be televised by CBS.