SOUTHAVEN — After starting the season with three consecutive home victories, Mississippi State traveled up I-55 and conquered Utah, 78-73, at the Landers Center on Sunday evening.
Whether it was alumni from the area or those that made the trek north from Starkville, thousands of MSU fans gathered to watch the non-conference battle between the Bulldogs and the Utes.
“It was electrifying for sure,” sophomore guard Josh Hubbard said. “Especially when we got it going (and) came back. There’s nothing like these fans. They got into the game and helped us.”
As the game tipped-off, graduate Cameron Matthews wasted no time making his presence felt on the defensive end for the Bulldogs early in the first half, securing his 200th career steal in the process.
For Matthews, a 6-foot-7 forward from Olive Branch, performing lights-out in his hometown with family and friends in attendance was a dream come true.
“There was a whole lot of people. I got a lot of phone calls and texts,” Matthews said. “It’s a good feeling being back close to home, seeing a lot of familiar faces. I’m just glad we got to do it here.”
After the teams traded baskets early, KeShawn Murphy and RJ Melendez made four consecutive free throws, giving MSU the early 9-8 lead.
The majority of the contest featured a physical back-and-forth battle between the two teams. The Bulldogs and Utes traded blows throughout the first half on both ends of the floor, with the advantage falling to Utah by a score of 39-28 heading into the break.
“Obviously, it didn’t look very good at halftime, but we were proud of our guys and their response,” head coach Chris Jans said. “We haven’t been in those situations with this team, (so) I didn’t know. I knew what I wanted to happen and fortunately, it did. That’s something we will lean on all year long because we’re going to be in that situation again at some point this year.”
Returning from half, the Bulldogs were on fire. State went on a 15-5 run and quickly shortened the Utes’ lead to just one point at the first media timeout.
Hubbard played a tremendous role in helping lead the comeback charge for the Bulldogs in the second half of play. The Madison native shot 7-of-9 from the field (4-of-5 from three) for 20 points in the second half.
Much like the first half, MSU and Utah continued to volley the lead back and forth in front of an electric crowd. However, the Bulldogs had the last laugh and secured the first road victory of the season, 78-73, over the Utah Utes.
“To get up in this neck of the woods, I thought the crowd was awesome and I could feel them in the second half,” Jans said. “They were a big part of our comeback and a big part of our run. I love the fact that we’re able to do this.”
State’s next road test will commence on Friday as the Bulldogs travel to Dallas to face Southern Methodist. The game is set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast live on ACC Network+.
“We’re in the midst of five in a row. Next week will be our first true road game at SMU (and) I’m looking forward to that opportunity to see how our guys react,” Jans said. “Then we go to Phoenix and play UNLV and then either Butler or Northwestern before coming back to play Pittsburgh. We need to have challenges. We need to have resume opportunities. Hopefully, this will give us some confidence moving forward.”
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