Mississippi State Advances To The Next Round In The SEC Tournament
NASHVILLE, Tenn - The Mississippi State Bulldogs found themselves in the second half as they defeated the LSU Tigers 68-58 in their first game in the SEC Tournament.
The first half was similar to many of the other half in the last five games. They had to play from behind and even with Josh Hubbard and Tolu Smith not having their best performances, Mississippi State found a way to pull out the win.
Hubbard struggled for most of the game from the field, but eventually, he found his shot to lead State to their first victory since betting LSU on the road. The star freshman finished the game with 24 points and was 9-10 from the free throw line which was most impressive.
Moreover, he shot 3-10 from the three, but he averaged 2-3 made 3-pointers a game, and the last two were the biggest for the Bulldogs.
Shakeel Moore and Dashawn Davis were also effective in their minutes while taking advantage of opportunities from behind the arch and in the paint on multiple attempts at the rim. Moore finished with an impactful nine while Davis finished with 12.
Davis has been playing some of his best basketball this March and over the past few games. He will be a key player for the Bulldogs as they continue in the tournament.
The defense was also an important factor in the game while State struggled in the first half. Head coach Chris Jans knew that at halftime things had to change for the team to win.
"We were 1-10 from halftime from 3 and I was pretty positive we could do better in the second half," Jans said. "We talked about turning them over and they had 18 turnovers. We wanted to rev our motors as we have in the past to score from our defensive and we did that."
Now that they have handled LSU, they are likely a lock for the NCAA tournament according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi. However, they will have to face a No. 4 Tennessee once again after defeating them at home earlier in the season. The Bulldogs will take on the Volunteers on Friday (noon on SEC Network).
Second Half
This story will be regularly updated throughout the game.
Mississippi State Final Box Score
LSU Final Box Score
Final: Mississippi State 70, LSU 60
1:01: Hubbard has taken over the game with eight points in the final five minutes after struggling for the majority of the game. The Bulldogs have taken off on offensive with Hubbard hitting threes and easy passes to get open. Mississippi State 66, LSU 58
5:48 - it has been a game of runs and LSU has started to make their run at the Bulldogs. MSU takes a timeout as it looked as if the Bulldogs would have taken control of this game. Mississippi State 53, LSU 50
8:27 - The Bulldogs are flowing on offense now as Jones Jr. slams it down over an LSU defender and are continuing to take advantage of the opportunities that the Tigers are giving them. Shakeel Moore has been effective too with nine points off the bench and providing great minutes for Chris Jans. Mississippi State 52, LSU 43
11:19 - Timeout from LSU. The Bulldogs are starting to get their groove back with Hubbard not shooting the ball as much but finding ways to be effective by drawing fouls and good team defense for State. Mississippi State 42, LSU 36
13:23 - The Bulldogs have gone on another 6-0 run to tie the game up. The few State supporters in the crowd are starting to get loud and make their presence felt in the arena. LSU 34, Mississippi State 34
15:18 - The Bulldogs started off the half in control but instantly lost momentum with careless turnovers and missed shots. They have not had a field goal in three minutes and if they do not turn that around, they will be behind again, struggling to come back. LSU 34, Mississippi State 28
18:14 - The Bulldogs have come out in attack mode in the second half. While Hubbard is still cold from the field, Rams Davis has started to make his presence felt on the offensive side of the ball. The Dawgs are on a 6-0 run and for LSU to call a timeout. LSU 29, Mississippi State 28
First Half
Mississippi State Halftime Box Score
LSU Halftime Box Score
Compared to their first outing earlier in the season, The LSU Tigers have shut out Hubbard and Smith in the first half. It is an incredible defensive effort for the Tigers even though they are turning the ball over at a high rate.
For the Bulldogs, they end the half almost going eight full minutes of not scoring a field goal and going 2-15 in their last attempts. Luckily the Bulldogs defense is playing as well as it can while the offense is holding the team back.
LSU is doing everything that Mississippi State thrives on better. Rebounding, scoring in transition off of turnovers, and shutting down star players. It is going to be difficult for the Bulldogs to come back as they have been dealing with this issue over the past number of games and have yet to be able to complete a successful comeback.
Halftime: LSU 29, Mississippi State 22
0:56 - The Bulldogs have not scored a field goal in about seven minutes of play. Hubbard is the leading scorer with 10 points but most of those points have come from the free-throw line. The rest of the team looks lost on offense. LSU 29, Mississippi State 22
LSU 1:47: The Bulldogs are struggling on offense. They will have to play from behind as they have in the past five games and it will be hard for them if they can't find anyone else to contribute. LSU 28, Mississippi State 20.
4:28 - Hubbard is getting doubled on every pick and roll or handoff that State tries to do. LSU is doing a great job of making sure that it is anyone but Hubbard that beats them. LSU 23, Mississippi State 17
8:28: The offense has gone off the rails for the Bulldogs while LSU has hit three 3-pointers in a row. the Bulldogs have tried to get Tolu Smith involved in the game but it has not been effective. The Tigers instantly double and instead of trying to make a play with a pass Smith just goes up to get blocked or misses a shot. LSU 19, Mississippi State 17
11:52: Media timeout on the floor. Outside of the offensive rebounding for LSU, State has shown up on the defensive side of the ball. The Offense will start to flow now that the Bulldogs are getting back to their style of basketball with attacking the rim and not focusing on outshooting a team. This will take some pressure off of Hubbard and open up other shooting opportunities for other players as well. Mississippi State 13, LSU 8
13:09 - Hunter Dean for LSU has made an impact on the game with his limited minutes. He is out hustling the Bulldogs and giving LSU multiple second-chance opportunities. Mississippi State 9, LSU 8
15:26 -Media timeout on the floor. The Bulldogs that have shown up to Nashville as here to prove a point. The defensive intensity being shown has not been seen since the Kentucky game. The Bulldogs are all over the floor making it difficult for the Tigers. Mississippi State 6, LSU 3
18:07 - It has been close to two minutes with no scoring from either side. LSU has been forcing shots at the end of shot clocks while MSU is getting to the paint and drawing fouls. Josh Hubbard gets fouled on a 3-point attempt and goes two of three from the line Mississippi State 2, LSU 0
| Mississippi State Starting Five | LSU Starting Five |
|---|---|
Dashawn Davis | Trae Hannibal |
Josh Hubbard | Jordan Wright |
D.J. Jefferies | Tyrell Ward |
Tolu Smith III | Derek Fountain |
Cameron Matthews | Will Baker |
NASHVILLE, Tenn - The Mississippi State Bulldogs have arrived for the SEC tournament and looking to rattle off several wins to boost their chances for a bid into the NCAA Tournament.
First is the LSU Tigers who were MSU's last win before ending the regular season on a five-game losing stretch. Josh Hubbard was fantastic in their last meeting scoring a then career-high of 32 points in the road victory.
It will be difficult to make it past the Tiger, but if they do, they have Tennessee whom the Bulldogs have beaten this season via a home game.
