KeShawn Murphy Sparks Mississippi State in Dominant 72-54 Win Over North Texas

The Mississippi State men's basketball team needed someone to step up after a slow start and forward KeShawn Murphy was the unlikely hero.

The Mississippi State men's basketball team dominated North Texas 72-54, but early on in the game, that final score seemed like an impossibility.

The Bulldogs survived a tremendous comeback attempt by Murray State on Wednesday, but on Sunday, they found themselves down against North Texas in the first half.

Mississippi State came into the game as favorites due to its 8-2 record compared to North Texas' 5-4 start to the season. However, the Mean Green clearly used that as motivation and its 30-22 lead late in the first half caught the Bulldogs' attention.

Sometimes, the best players on a team can't lead a comeback effort, and an unlikely hero must rise up. The Bulldogs found one off the bench in forward KeShawn Murphy, who led a 14-2 run in the final three minutes of the first half to eventually take a 36-32 lead as the opening 20 minutes came to a close. Murphy, who averaged just 4.3 points per game heading into Sunday, scored a career-high of 12 in the first half alone.

Murphy's efforts throughout the run, including a big-time dunk at the halftime buzzer, enabled the rest of the Bulldogs to start playing like their typical selves in final 20 minutes. Mississippi State would go on to outscore North Texas 36-22 in the second half.

Mississippi State has been known throughout the young season to spread the scoring around, as the highest scorer doesn't average many more points than the lowest. Murphy continued to bury some shots and finish the game with a team-high 18 points, but sixth-man guard Josh Hubbard and D.J. Jeffries also finished the game in the double-digits. Forward Cameron Matthews couldn't join the club, but he led the Bulldogs in rebounds (12), assists (7), steals (5) and blocks (3).

Mississippi State moves up to 9-2 while North Texas slides down to 5-5.