STARKVILLE — Prior to Wednesday’s 2023-24 season opener against Arizona State, Mississippi State men’s basketball hadn’t sunk 10 or more three pointers in a game since the 2021-22 season.
Following Saturday’s 87-62 win over UT-Martin, the Bulldogs have reached double-digit three-point makes in their first two games of the season.
It was the home opener for Mississippi State inside the newly-renovated Humphrey Coliseum, and the energy was palpable amongst the 7,500 fans in attendance.
Led by freshman Josh Hubbard, the Bulldogs showed how versatile of a team they can be with more shooters in the mix.
“I told y’all we’re going to shoot the three better,” head coach Chris Jans said. “I think we were also last in the country last year, so we had a lot of wiggle room. I didn’t know we would shoot 39 of them, second game out of the chute, but we did.”
The Bulldogs (2-0) certainly let things fly on Saturday, shooting at a 33.3 percent clip on the evening (13-of-39), but several players showcased continued success from Wednesday’s win.
Trey Fort, coming off a 21-point performance against the Sun Devils, where he shot 5-of-10 from three, backed that up with an 11-point night against the Skyhawks, shooting 3-of-4 from deep.
The big story of the night was freshman Josh Hubbard, who put up a career-high 22 points in his second college game, shooting 7-of-12 from the field and 5-of-8 from three.
“It was definitely special for my first time being in The Hump,” Hubbard said. “I think the main thing, that being our first home game, was that we’re starting to transition practice into games, doing those everyday things that we do.”
Everyone from Mississippi State got in on the action on Saturday as four players finished in double-figures and seven scored at least seven points.
The defensive side of the ball proved just as crucial as the Bulldogs registered nine blocked shots, with three each from D.J. Jeffries and Jimmy Bell Jr., and edged out UT-Martin in the rebound battle, 45-43.
Of those defensive performances, the most notable was 6-foot, 11-inch freshman forward Gai Chol, who impressed in front of the home faithful with 11 points and six rebounds.
“Gai is an everyday guy,” senior forward Cam Matthews said. “Hearing Coach Jans, he brags on him a lot, just how much potential he has. We knew how Gai could play, so it’s no big thing for us.”
The Bulldogs are now 14-1 against non-conference foes since the start of the 2022-23 season, a trend they would like to continue onward, especially with the hot shooting start from beyond the arc.
“It sure is nice to have more guys wearing the maroon and white that can knock down an open shot,” Jans said.
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