Cowbell Corner

Mississippi State Bulldogs Dominate Georgia State with 101-66 Victory

Mississippi State Bulldogs cruise to a 101-66 victory over Georgia State, marking their second-straight win over a Georgia team this season.

Taylor Hodges

Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Josh Hubbard talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel.
Mississippi State Bulldogs guard Josh Hubbard talks with the media during SEC Media Days at Grand Bohemian Hotel. / Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
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STARKVILLE, Miss. – Peaches are safe for dogs to eat, but only in moderation. Luckily, the Bulldogs won’t be feasting on any Peach State teams for a while.

Mississippi State (2-0) won its second-straight game against a Georgia-based team to start the 2024-25 season. This time the victim was Georgia State, who left Starkville with a 101-66 loss.

Georgia State never led in Friday night’s game and Mississippi State outscored the Panthers 47-25 in the first half. The Bulldogs made 62 percent of their field goal attempts, while the Panthers made just 31 percent.

Josh Hubbard led the Bulldogs in scoring with 15 points, while also grabbing six rebounds, six assists and two steals in 25 minutes of action. Riley Kugel had 14 points, Kanye Clary had 11, and Claudell Harris Jr. and RJ Melendez each had 10 points in the big win. In all, eight Bulldogs scored eight or more points and five made at least one three-pointer. As a team, Mississippi State recorded 10 three-point shots against Georgia State.

Taylor’s Take

Two games into the season and Mississippi State has done what was expected: dominate two inferior teams. The games haven’t been close, the Bulldogs’ best players have performed well and the team has some two-game trends that are promising (three-point field goals).

But the games were against West Georgia (playing its first-ever NCAA Div. I game) and Georgia State (a Sun Belt Conference member since 2013).

Next up is a third-straight home game against Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+). The expectations will be the same as they were in the first two games. But next weekend, we’ll learn more about this Mississippi State team.

The Bulldogs will make a short trek to Southaven, Miss. to face Utah in a Mid-South Showdown on ESPN2. That’ll be their first true test of the season.

Read More Mississippi State Bulldogs On SI:

Mississippi State's Defense Faces Major Size Disadvantage Against Tennessee's Offensive Line

SEC Football Week 11 Storylines: Can Mississippi State Shock the World?

Why Dak Prescott Should Sit Out the Rest of the Cowboys’ Injury-Plagued Season

Three Tennessee Stars Powering Their Offense Ahead of Clash With Mississippi State

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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