No. 17 Mississippi State stays hot, cools off South Carolina
League: NCAA Basketball 
Posted on: 05 Jan, 2025 at 06:33 AM
Credit: Wesley Hale-Imagn Images
Josh Hubbard scored 21 points as No. 17 Mississippi State smothered visiting South Carolina in an 85-50 rout in both teams' Southeastern Conference opener Saturday in Starkville, Miss.
Hubbard made 7 of 13 shots after shooting 31.4 percent (16-of-51) in his previous four games. He also sank five 3s after shooting 1-of-9 from behind the arc Monday against Bethune-Cookman.
Claudell Harris added 17 points and nine rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting as Mississippi State shot 56.5 percent and scored 52 points in the paint. Riley Kugel and Keshawn Murphy chipped in 12 points apiece, while Murphy also had four of the Bulldogs' 10 blocked shots.
Zachary Davis scored 22 for South Carolina, but leading scorer Collin Murray-Boyles was held to five points on 2-of-9 shooting and committed six of the Gamecocks' 14 turnovers. The visitors shot a dreadful 29.1 percent and were 2-of-19 from 3-point range.
Mississippi State (13-1, 1-0 SEC) won its seventh straight and earned its fourth straight double-double digit victory by seizing control early and never letting up against a South Carolina squad that won by four points in the teams' most recent meeting in Starkville in March.
The Gamecocks (10-4, 0-1) saw their seven-game winning streak snapped and produced their worst offensive showing of the season heading into home games with fifth-ranked Alabama and No. 2 Auburn.
As South Carolina missed eight of its first nine shots, the Bulldogs took their first double-digit lead when Kugel made two free throws with 13:07 remaining in the first half.
A layup by Harris capped a 13-0 run for a 15-2 lead on the next possession, and Mississippi State opened a 24-6 edge on a three-point play by Hubbard with 8:20 left. The hosts took their first 20-point lead on a hoop by Murphy less than a minute later.
The Bulldogs went up 30-11 lead on another basket by Murphy with 5:08 left and hit five layups in the final 2:09 for a 43-18 halftime cushion.
Mississippi State scored the first five points of the second half to take a 30-point lead on a 3 by Harris a little over two minutes in. The margin reached 37 on Hubbard's final triple with 4:04 remaining as the Bulldogs began to empty their bench.
--Field Level Media
Hubbard made 7 of 13 shots after shooting 31.4 percent (16-of-51) in his previous four games. He also sank five 3s after shooting 1-of-9 from behind the arc Monday against Bethune-Cookman.
Claudell Harris added 17 points and nine rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting as Mississippi State shot 56.5 percent and scored 52 points in the paint. Riley Kugel and Keshawn Murphy chipped in 12 points apiece, while Murphy also had four of the Bulldogs' 10 blocked shots.
Zachary Davis scored 22 for South Carolina, but leading scorer Collin Murray-Boyles was held to five points on 2-of-9 shooting and committed six of the Gamecocks' 14 turnovers. The visitors shot a dreadful 29.1 percent and were 2-of-19 from 3-point range.
Mississippi State (13-1, 1-0 SEC) won its seventh straight and earned its fourth straight double-double digit victory by seizing control early and never letting up against a South Carolina squad that won by four points in the teams' most recent meeting in Starkville in March.
The Gamecocks (10-4, 0-1) saw their seven-game winning streak snapped and produced their worst offensive showing of the season heading into home games with fifth-ranked Alabama and No. 2 Auburn.
As South Carolina missed eight of its first nine shots, the Bulldogs took their first double-digit lead when Kugel made two free throws with 13:07 remaining in the first half.
A layup by Harris capped a 13-0 run for a 15-2 lead on the next possession, and Mississippi State opened a 24-6 edge on a three-point play by Hubbard with 8:20 left. The hosts took their first 20-point lead on a hoop by Murphy less than a minute later.
The Bulldogs went up 30-11 lead on another basket by Murphy with 5:08 left and hit five layups in the final 2:09 for a 43-18 halftime cushion.
Mississippi State scored the first five points of the second half to take a 30-point lead on a 3 by Harris a little over two minutes in. The margin reached 37 on Hubbard's final triple with 4:04 remaining as the Bulldogs began to empty their bench.
--Field Level Media
