MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Facing a Memphis team that entered Saturday with the third-best 3-point percentage in college basketball, Mississippi State turned the tables on the Tigers.
The Bulldogs held No. 21 Memphis to under 30 percent from behind the arc and started the game 9-for-16 from distance, building a 20-point first-half lead and coasting to a 79-66 victory that will almost certainly remain in Quadrant 1 for the rest of the season.
“Their numbers were mind-boggling. “That was a big focus of ours. For us, it usually goes back to how we’re guarding the ball. We really focused on trying to keep (Tyrese) Hunter and (Colby) Rogers from getting a bunch of catch-and-shoot threes. We knew (PJ) Haggerty was going to get downhill; he does against everybody, and we just didn’t want to help too much when we were one pass away from either of those guys.”
It took both teams a few minutes to settle into the rhythm of the game, which was tied 5-5 at the first TV timeout. From there, the Bulldogs (11-1) used a 13-0 run to almost completely neutralize the FedExForum crowd of 14,565, which included a fair number of maroon-clad MSU fans.
Claudell Harris Jr. and KeShawn Murphy hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and a Harris steal that led to a Shawn Jones Jr. dunk forced Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway to take an early timeout. Memphis (9-3) came into the game with more turnovers than assists for the season, and the Tigers turned the ball over 12 times in the first half alone Saturday.
“Every time we drove baseline, they double-teamed the ball,” Hardaway said. “We just didn’t get the ball out properly because they were long.”
Starting center Michael Nwoko played less than six minutes for the Bulldogs, with Murphy playing 34 minutes off the bench and tallying 13 points, nine rebounds and four steals. Murphy more than held his own against Memphis’ two post players, Moussa Cisse and Dain Dainja. Cisse dealt with foul trouble and was held scoreless in 12 minutes, while Dainja led the Tigers with nine rebounds but also committed six turnovers.
Florida transfer Riley Kugel led MSU with 19 points, finishing the first half 6-for-6 from the floor and 3-for-3 from 3-point range. Kugel had a season-high 22 points last month against Butler but had not cracked double figures in the four games since then until Saturday.
“It felt good. It always feels good when you have the hot hand,” Kugel said. “My teammates were putting their trust in me, and I was just going out there and showing what I’m capable of doing. I was just having fun.”
Sophomore guard Josh Hubbard turned the ball over four times — more than doubling his season total in that category — but still managed 13 points. Cameron Matthews had another all-around productive game, with 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Coming off a 19-point outing Tuesday against Central Michigan, Harris was held to six points against Memphis, but still had eight boards and a career-high five steals, with all five coming in the first half. RJ Melendez had three steals of his own and now has eight over his last three games.
“When we’re playing our best, it’s how we play,” Jans said. “We’re getting handsy and getting in the passing lanes, in the driving lanes, and trying to make things difficult for the other team and shrink the court. Our guys were really hungry today. They were excited to play in this venue. They were excited to play against a team like Memphis with so many great players.”
Haggerty led all scorers with 24 points and Hunter chipped in with 19, but all other Tigers combined for 23 points on 6-for-25 shooting, including 2-for-14 from deep. The Bulldogs had a 38-18 scoring advantage in the paint and out-rebounded Memphis 46-32.
All the Tigers’ 11-0 run to end the game did was make the final look much closer than the game truly was as the MSU fans serenaded their team with “maroon/white” chants. The Bulldogs have a full week off for Christmas, then closes out non-conference play at home against Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 30.
“If you play well enough, (the home fans) don’t have much to cheer about,” Jans said. “Most crowds don’t get after it if their home team is not playing well. Play well, and you won’t have to worry about it. And we had enough folks up here that (when) we started playing well, you would be able to hear them.”
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