STARKVILLE – Mississippi State fell to 10-8 on the season with a gut-wrenching loss to Ole Miss on Saturday. The Rebels took advantage of a poor offensive performance by the Bulldogs to take a second half lead and closed out 68-67 after MSU’s Josh Hubbard missed two free throws and a driving layup attempt in the final seconds.
MSU started hot out of the gate, hitting on each of its first three possessions with a pair of dunks from Shawn Jones Jr. to get the raucous home crowd involved early. The momentum continued for the Bulldogs, who led by as much as 11 at one point in the first half before production slowed down.
For the third game in a row, the Bulldogs struggled down the stretch of the second half, and were fortunate to avoid giving up the lead at the break. They went into the locker room up 30-27, scoring just eight points over the final nine minutes of the first half.
Hubbard had just five points in the first period of action, shooting 1-9 from the floor, 0-5 from three-point range.
The sluggish offensive display continued into the first half, with MSU failing to hit a shot in the first few minutes until Achor Achor got a three-pointer to fall. By that point, though, Ole Miss had gained some momentum and taken a slim lead.
The Bulldogs finally started to get some shots from distance to fall going into the final few minutes. Hubbard and Epps both hit their first shots from distance after going a combined 0-15 previously, and Ja’Borri McGhee added one as well to help keep pace in what had become a back-and-forth game.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
