STARKVILLE — Riley Kugel did not misfire often Monday night, but one of the few times he did proved to be a turning point in a positive way for Mississippi State.
Bethune-Cookman had scored 12 straight points to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to one with nine minutes left in the first half when Kugel missed a 3-pointer, and he knew the shot was off from the moment he released it. Kugel ran after the miss and swooped in for the offensive rebound, laying it back up and in.
The play kick-started a 9-0 run for MSU, and although the Wildcats continued to hang tough until late in the second half, the No. 17 Bulldogs rode Kugel’s 22-point night to an 87-73 victory in their final non-conference game of the regular season.
“It was just a basketball play,” Kugel said. “I felt like it was coming off (to the) right, so I went for the rebound. I was just bringing energy.”
Prior to Kugel’s put-back layup, Bethune-Cookman was 4-for-4 from behind the arc. The Wildcats were 1-for-11 the rest of the way as MSU (12-1) clamped down on the perimeter after a very slow defensive start.
Bethune-Cookman (3-10) shot 60 percent in the first half behind its backcourt duo of Trey Thomas and Brayon Freeman, who had a combined 29 points by halftime. The Bulldogs led by seven at the break because they shot nearly as well, connecting on four straight 3-pointers early. On a night when the officials did not hesitate to blow their whistles, the two teams made their free throw opportunities count, making a combined 21 of 22 foul shots in the first half.
“Going into the game, I felt really good about the practices we’d had,” MSU head coach Chris Jans said. “I didn’t think we were great at (on-ball defense) tonight. That’s why they got the shots they did, for the most part. We had some blown assignments.”
Behind five steals from veteran Cameron Matthews, the Bulldogs found success in transition, scoring 24 points off 17 Bethune-Cookman turnovers. That 9-0 run that started with Kugel’s second-chance layup included back-to-back alley-oop dunks, the second of which came on a long pass from Josh Hubbard to Michael Nwoko.
Hubbard was just 1-for-9 from distance but still had 16 points, thanks to a 7-for-7 performance at the free throw line. Claudell Harris Jr. did not attempt a shot in the first half but had all three of MSU’s made 3-pointers in the second half, finishing with 12 points, and RJ Melendez added 12 as well.
“We have guys before practice and after practice getting their shots up,” Melendez said. “Getting in the gym and working on our game every single day just gets up our confidence to come out and be ourselves on the court.”
Thomas was assessed a technical foul late in the first half, and with the Bulldogs leading by six in the second half, the officials hit Kugel and Thomas with offsetting technicals, ending Thomas’ night at 21 points. The Wildcats scored just two points over the next six minutes as MSU increased its lead to 18.
“We weren’t the igniters of anything,” Jans said. “(Thomas) not being able to participate the rest of the game really hurt their team. He was playing awfully well and scoring the ball, and he’s their best 3-point shooter. It allowed us to get in the gaps more and shrink the court.”
After scoring 45 points in the first half, Bethune-Cookman was limited to 28 in the second half as Thomas was forced to sit out for almost 12 minutes. Freeman missing six straight free throws down the stretch also did not help the visitors’ cause.
The Bulldogs open Southeastern Conference play Saturday at Humphrey Coliseum against South Carolina, a team that defeated MSU twice last year. The Gamecocks have the lowest NET ranking among SEC teams, at No. 85, but seven teams in the conference are currently in the NET top 25.
“I just can’t wait for it,” Kugel said. “It’s the best time of the year, that and postseason. I look forward to playing high-level games. It’s going to be a gauntlet. We’re ready for it.”
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