There is an important spectrum of emotions between despair and elation in sports that can measure a team’s successes and defeats properly. Some wins, such as Mississippi State’s 85-73 win over Georgia Tech on Wednesday, might not feel like a tournament win or a momentum swing for the season, but are still a validation of the process to turn things in the right direction.

“It was the perfect amount of celebration for what we did,” head coach Chris Jans said of the locker room after the game. “It was fairly muted, but just them chatting and joking with each other, talking about the game. I stood there, took it all in, and was so happy for them. To see that winning feeling coursing through their veins and through the program.”

Jans’ squad hasn’t had the chance to celebrate too much through eight games this season. The Bulldogs improved to 4-4 in their first true road test against a 5-4 Yellow Jackets team. It wasn’t the biggest win in the world, but after being run off the floor by Iowa State and Kansas State, and blowing a nine-point lead against SMU at home, it’s a win the Bulldogs will take.

“For me personally, there’s nothing better in this sport than going into someone else’s barn, getting the win and hearing the silence when you walk off and head to the bowels of the arena to celebrate with your team.”

The performance itself certainly warranted the tempered celebration from the team. Brandon Walker and Jamarion Davis-Fleming both entered the starting lineup for the first time and assisted Quincy Ballard in a dominant performance down low against a Yellow Jackets squad with a decent size advantage over the Bulldogs. The pair each scored 11 points on the night, with Davis-Fleming shooting 5-5 from the floor, and rounded out a strong offensive performance across the board.

“If I’d known that was going to be the case, I’d have started them earlier,” Jans said. “Just a matchup thing. I wanted to switch it up, get a new feel, new vibe, new rotation, and fortunately it worked to our favor, tonight anyway.”

Josh Hubbard led the way with 25 points while his backcourt mate Jayden Epps added another 14. They took full advantage of the performances down low, with Hubbard dishing five assists in the new setup.

“They gave us an extra push,” Hubbard said of Walker and Davis-Fleming. “They boxed out really well, we were good on the glass starting off and most of the whole game, so shoutout to them. They started well and they gave us a spark.”

All in all, the performance is one to build on for the Bulldogs. They were able to match their opponents physically, winning on the boards and racking up 42 points in the paint. There was still a problem with turnovers, but the strong defensive play helped to remedy that, holding Georgia Tech shooters to just 34% from the floor and 27% from beyond the arc.

“I was pleased with our being assignment-correct and trying to get the game plan onto the floor,” Jans said. “We’ve been getting better at that, at transferring our work and scout into the game, which is a big deal for us. Hopefully, that bodes well going forward.”

MSU returns to action against San Francisco in Tupelo at 3 p.m. on Sunday.