STARKVILLE — Iverson Molinar rose for the shot, absorbed the hit and watched the basketball glance off the backboard before dropping through the net.

The Mississippi State junior guard fought through contact from North Alabama’s Jamari Blackmon to hit a runner from the right side of the court, drawing a whistle in the process.

Less than 20 seconds after the Lions’ C.J. Brim opened the second half with a jump shot to bring UNA within single digits, Molinar made the and-one jumper and drained the ensuing free throw, giving the Bulldogs three big points less than 30 seconds into the period.

It was proof that whenever North Alabama threatened in Wednesday’s season opener at Humphrey Coliseum, Mississippi State had a response.

The Bulldogs (1-0) weathered several second-half attempts by the Lions (0-1) to get back in the game, eventually pulling away for a 75-49 victory to tip off the 2021-22 season in Starkville.

“I think we did well as a team,” North Carolina transfer Garrison Brooks said.

Brooks had 18 points to lead all scorers, while Molinar added 13 and freshman Camryn Carter chipped in 11. Twelve Bulldogs played in the victory; 10 of them, including freshman Alden Applewhite and little-used redshirt senior Justin Rumph, scored.

And the Bulldogs’ three healthy transfers, led by Brooks, made a big impact. Memphis transfer D.J. Jeffries had 7 points and 4 rebounds, while NC State import Shakeel Moore had 8 points and 3 steals.

Mississippi State had 12 takeaways in all, fueling a transition offense that wasn’t quite as effective last season. The Bulldogs had 23 fastbreak points and 17 points off North Alabama turnovers.

“This year, I feel like that’s going to be kind of our bread and butter — getting steals, playing defense and running in transition and getting easy buckets,” sophomore Cameron Matthews said.

In an entertaining stretch late in the second half, MSU showed just how fun this year’s team has the potential to be. Matthews had the third of three consecutive dunks, slamming the ball home off a nice feed by Jeffries.

His slam followed a steal and dunk by Moore and an and-one slam by Brooks, putting the Bulldogs up 63-45 and pumping up a home crowd of 6,671.

“The Hump was rocking tonight,” Matthews said.

That was the case from the start as Mississippi State scored 17 straight points after a 3-ball by the Lions. Brooks had 4 points on the stretch, and the trio of transfers scored the Bulldogs’ first 10.

“Once you get out to a lead like that, the crowd plays a huge factor into it,” Brooks said. “I think that was huge for our momentum.”

Mississippi State led by as many as 24 points in the first half before cooling off as the Lions clawed back into the contest. A 3-pointer by Blackmon with 14 seconds left in the half made it an 11-point game at the break.

Isaac Chatman’s jumper with 14:49 to go put UNA within 7 points, but the Lions never got closer. They missed 22 of their next 25 shots and finished just 19 of 61 on field goals.

“We held them to 31 percent from the field,” Howland said. “That was excellent defense to hold a team as talented as they are to 31 percent.”

Mississippi State, meanwhile, weathered a 3-for-14 stretch to shoot 27 of 56 (48.2 percent) from the field and 6 of 18 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc. Free throws proved a bit of a struggle, as the Bulldogs went 15 of 26 (57.7 percent) from the charity stripe.

But overall, MSU played well in its first regular-season action, no small feat for a team with so many new players. Brooks praised the camaraderie among the Bulldogs, and Howland said it’s been evident.

“This is probably the best chemistry off the floor that we’ve had in my tenure here,” Howland said.

It was clear to see on the court Wednesday, and the Bulldogs hope to keep it going. At 6 p.m. Saturday, they’ll host a Montana team about which Howland raved. The Grizzlies (1-0) beat NAIA opponent Dickinson State 74-27 on Tuesday.

“The thing about Montana, they have everybody back from last year, including their bigs,” Howland said. “All their guards are back. They can really shoot it. … They’re picked to win the Big Sky Conference and go to the NCAA tournament. Honestly, I’ll be surprised if they don’t.”

Watts set for Nov. 17 return

Howland said he thought he might have to put Michigan State transfer guard Rocket Watts into Wednesday’s contest.

“I was so nervous about this game, I even thought maybe he’d have to get in there,” Howland said.

But the Bulldogs’ success allowed the coach to give Watts some extra rest time. Howland said he plans for Watts to return from an offseason hip procedure Nov. 17 against Detroit-Mercy in Starkville.

“That’s my target date for him,” Howland said.

Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.