Mississippi State Men's Basketball Dominates North Alabama, 81-54

The Mississippi State men's basketball team defeated North Alabama 81-54 on Tuesday night to continue their hot 3-0 start to the season. The Bulldogs also tallied their fifth win against the Lions, and have yet to lose in the series dating back to 1982.

Mississippi State forward Jimmy Bell Jr. led the team with 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, but the Bulldogs did a very solid job of spreading the ball around on offense and prevented that from happening on the defensive side of the ball.

Similar to their previous two games, the Bulldogs began the game with a big lead, but the Lions made sure it wasn't too much to handle, as they finished the first half down by eight points.

The first few minutes were all Mississippi State, as they capitalized on North Alabama's turnovers and once led by 13. Forward Cameron Matthews was a major contributor to the Bulldogs' takeaways in the first half, as he collected a jaw-dropping five steals. Fellow forward Jimmy Bell Jr. was also unfazed by the Lions' offense in the period, as he leaped high for two blocks.

However, the Bulldogs started to give the ball away later in the first half, and the Lions took advantage by shooting over 41 percent in the first 20 minutes compared to MSU's 39.

Mississippi State had eight different players score the first 36 points, but guard Josh Hubbard led the way with nine off the bench on 3-of-8 shooting. All five of Hubbard's misses came from behind the arc (2-for-7 on three-point field goals), which was a common theme for the Bulldogs in the first half, as they collectively converted just 4-of-18 (22 percent) attempts.

Just like the first half, Mississippi State fired on all cylinders in the beginning of the second, as they went on a 10-0 run from 16:04-14:10. Matthews and forward D.J. Jeffries had a couple of big dunks to spark the run, but Bell's work on the glass both offensively and defensively was crucial to the Bulldogs' success. Bell's and-one free throw with eight minutes remaining gave him a double-double.

However, unlike the first half, there was no comeback by North Alabama in the second. Mississippi State's several tough makes that sent them to the line in the second half created more than enough momentum to run away with the win.

The Bulldogs bench scored a lot when the game wasn't set in stone, but they continued to thrive when it was, as they finished with a stellar 40 of Mississippi State's 81 points.

Stat Leaders:

Points: MSU forward Jimmy Bell Jr. (14)
Rebounds: MSU forward Jimmy Bell Jr. (14)
Assists: MSU forward Cameron Matthews and guard Josh Bell (4)
Steals: MSU forward Cameron Matthews (5)
Blocks: MSU forward Jimmy Bell Jr. (3)