Three Takeaways from Mississippi State's Dominant Win Over Missouri
The Mississippi State men's basketball team dominated Missouri 75-51 on Saturday night. This victory bumped the Bulldogs' record up to 16-8 (5-6 SEC).
This matchup had many factors that influenced the outcome in Columbia, Mo. Here are three takeaways:
Bulldogs Overcame Rough Start Down Low
You wouldn't guess it based on the final score, but Mississippi State struggled offensively to begin the match. Coming into Saturday night, Missouri averaged five blocks per game, but they achieved that mark against the Bulldogs just 10 minutes into the evening.
Mississippi State still won the first half points in the paint battle (14-12), but they weren't consistent in that area and often turned the ball over down low. In fact, all seven of the Bulldogs' turnovers in the opening period were by the forwards.
However, their fast ball movement and possession time allowed Mississippi State to efficiently score down low throughout the second half, as they ended the game with 36 points in the paint. Additionally, Missouri only recorded one block in the final 20 minutes.
Shakeel Moore Sparks Dominant Second Half Run
The Bulldogs went to the locker room only up 30-26 at halftime. Freshman guard Josh Hubbard couldn't have started the game any better, as he went 3-of-3 from the field early, including 2-of-2 from deep. That said, he finished the first half missing his next four shots.
Fellow guard Shakeel Moore finished the first half exactly how Hubbard started it, shooting 3-of-3 with two makes from downtown. Nevertheless, the Bulldogs knew they were more than capable of defeating the only winless team in the SEC and Moore pushed that narrative to start the second half with two quick three-pointers.
While shooting the second of those two three-pointers, he turned around toward Mississippi State's bench before the ball even sunk through the net. This capped an 8-2 start to the second half and had his teammates with their hands on their heads wide-eyed and jaws dropped in awe, which convinced Missouri head coach Dennis Gates to call timeout.
The timeout didn't work though, as every Bulldog started to put points on the board through an extremely fast-paced offense. By the Tigers' next timeout, the score was 50-30 with 12:43 remaining in regulation. In other words, Mississippi State had scored 20 points on 8-11 from the field to open the second half while Missouri recorded just four on 1-4.
That's right, Mississippi State's defense forced so many turnovers (11) and steals that the Tigers only shot the ball four times in a bit over seven minutes. In fact, Missouri didn't record a field goal between 19:20 and 11:19.
Mississippi State finished the game with 20 takeaways and 15 steals. Missouri's 51 points are the fewest that the Bulldogs have allowed this season, as the Tigers shot 16-of-47 from the field (34 percent), including 3-of-18 from behind the arc (16.7 percent).
Cameron Matthews Steals the Show
Versatile forward Cameron Matthews has decimated his teammates in the steals category throughout the season, as he entered Saturday with the second-most in the entire SEC. For reference, this season Matthew's has logged two four-steal, two five-steal, one six-steal, and now notched seven steals against Missouri. That mark ties the record for the third-most in a single game in program history.
Matthews' efforts on both ends were crucial to Mississippi State's commanding second-half performance. He finished the game with nine points (all came in the second half), seven rebounds, and team-highs in assists (4) and of course steals (7).
