Mississippi State's Iverson Molinar Made Significant Statement in Rupp Arena

Iverson Molinar is the first SEC player since to score 30 points or more in Rupp Arena since 2017.

Mississippi State basketball didn't get the outcome it wanted as the Bulldogs fell short in an 82-74 overtime thriller, but it was a standout day for the team's Iverson Molinar, who was a key part of keeping the Bulldogs in contention as the game neared the end of regulation.

Molinar has been one of the brightest spots for this Mississippi State team this year and continued to be, making a statement as he scored 30 points on the loss. That alone is impressive regardless of the circumstances, but it also gives Molinar a place in the record books.

He is the first SEC player to score at least 30 points at Rupp Arena since 2017 and only four SEC players have done so over the course of the past four seasons. Molinar has easily been one of the best guards in the SEC this season and will undoubtedly have a solid career at the next level when that time comes. 

Molinar, who has put up double digits in every game he's played this season, is the conference's second-leading scorer with an average of 18.4 points per game, is second in free throw percentage at 87.6% and is fifth in the SEC in field goal percentage.

Expect Molinar to continue to be a force as the Bulldogs face Texas Tech on Saturday at 5 p.m. CT, but a defense that currently ranks No. 83 in the nation and has failed to fully back up his efforts at times will need to clean things up for Mississippi State to get back to the right side of the win column.