Mississippi State First Half Troubles Leads To Loss Against No. 11 Auburn

An ice-cold first half left the Bulldogs s truggling to get back into the game in the second half.

AUBURN, Al - The Mississippi State Bulldogs struggle in the first half held them back as they lose to No. 11 Auburn 78-63. 

A frigid first half left the Bulldogs helpless in the second when a comeback was starting to mount. The closest the game got in the second half was when star Freshman Josh Hubbard hit one of his six threes of the night to cut the lead to seven. Soon after the Tigers went on an 8-0 run and closed the door on the Bulldogs.

In the first half, Mississippi State (19-10, SEC 8-8) shot 8-29 from the floor and 1-10 from behind the arch. Moreover, State had 10 turnovers that slowed its offensive output. The second half was better on all aspects of how the Bulldogs play basketball, but the hole they placed themselves in was a bit too deep to climb out of. 

Hubbard had a solid game compared to the two previous offensive explosions he had. He scored 23 points on 6-15 and all of his makes were 3-pointers. Tolu Smith III also had a decent game with another double-double on the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. 

The Bulldogs have now lost back-to-back games and will still be on the road for their next game. They will be looking to take down Texas A&M which would be a quad-1 road victory on Wednesday (8 p.m. on ESPN2/ESPNU).

Here's How It Happened:

Second Half

This story will be regularly updated throughout the game.

Final: Mississippi State 63, Auburn 78

Mississippi State Final Box Score

Auburn Final Box Score

0:44 - Hubbard hits back-to-back 3-pointers but the game is out of reach and Auburn now holds the ball to end the game. 

2:20- Media timeout on the floor. It has been an off day for the Bulldogs but some expected it after an emotional loss from their previous game. Mississippi State almost had a chance but turnovers hurt them the most. Mississippi State 55, Auburn 69

5:38 - The game is starting to get away from the Bulldogs after some forced shots from Mississippi State. Auburn is making them on their end but coming back from a difficult first half has been the biggest issue for State. Mississippi State 52, Auburn 65

7:42 - Media timeout on the floor and not much offense has been produced from either team. It has been a slow half for offense for the Tigers while the Bulldogs, after starting hot in the second half, have slowed down their pace. Mississippi State 47, Auburn 59

9:38 - Lior Berman goes down in the paint for Auburn as a 30-second timeout is called. Auburn was on an 8-0 run but Smith stops the run with points inside the paint. Mississippi State 47, Auburn 58

11:34 - Media timeout on the floor - Hubbard cut the lead down to seven with a 3-pointer but Auburn is responding by forcing turnovers and making easy shots on the other end. It will be a physical game in these last few minutes as Matthews will enter back into the game as he has been in foul trouble for most of the second half. Mississippi State 43, Auburn 55 

13:14 - The Bulldogs have started to find a rhythm hitting their last six shots. It is still a 10-point game but the defense of Mississippi State has hit an extra gear with their intensity. Mississippi State 40, Auburn 50

15:07  - Media timeout on the floor. The Bulldogs have started to hit some of their shots and have cut the lead to 13. Three 3-pointers in this half for the Bulldogs and the game is getting more and more emotional. That favors the Bulldogs as Baker-Mazara gets a tech for throwing the ball at Smith. Mississippi State 33, Auburn 46

17:15 - Hubbard hits another three because of a protest from Auburn. Things are starting to become more emotional on both sides of the floor for each team but the Bulldogs are starting to claw their way back into the game. Mississippi State 28, Auburn 41 

17:36 - So far only Hubbard has scored a field goal for both teams at this point. He will need the spark he had at the end of the game against Kentucky to get the Bulldogs back into this game. Mississippi State 25, Auburn 41

First Half

Halftime: Mississippi State 22, Auburn 39

A positive for the Bulldogs is that it is only a 17-point game at the half and there is only up from the half that was just played. On the other hand, that was possibly the worst half of offense that the Bulldogs have produced all season. 8-29 from the field and 10 turnovers in one half is not the best way to try to get a road victory against the No. 11 ranked team in the country. 

Mississippi State Halftime Stats

Auburn Halftime Stats

0:46 - With Tolu Smith not being an outside scoring option, the paint is clustered so the offense is hard to come by. Auburn has a shot blocker sitting in the paint just waiting for someone to drive in and it has made the offense of Mississippi State sputter. Mississippi State 20, Auburn 36

3:29: Media timeout on the floor. This could be the worst offensive half the Bulldogs have had all season. the team is shooting 4-24 on the floor and has 10 first-half turnovers. The game is still within reach if the offense can turn itself around as it is only a 19-point game but a spark is desperately needed for the Bulldogs. Mississippi State 12, Auburn 31

4:48 - Mississippi State generates most of their points in the paint and when that is not going the Bulldogs way it is hard for them to win games. They have not been able to get inside the paint on cuts because of the shot blockers in the paint forcing the Bulldogs to play on the perimeter. Mississippi State 12, Auburn 29

7:20 - It has been almost seven minutes without a basket from Mississippi State but Matthews finds his way to the rim and ends the scoring drought for the Bulldogs. only three field goals made for State so far in the first half while Auburn is shooting 52 percent from the field. Mississippi State 10, Auburn 24

10:43- Media timeout on the floor The Bulldogs are struggling on offense and defense. They have five turnovers to start the game and shooting 2-13 from the field so far. This is not the ideal start for them on the road against a troublesome opponent. Mississippi State 7, Auburn 20

13:33 - Points are starting to come for the Bulldogs in the form of free-throw shooting from Tolu Smith. The issue is stopping the players for the Tigers that were not on the scouting report. Mississippi State 7, Auburn 15

14:32 - Hubbard has limitless range and gives the Bulldogs a much-needed basket from behind the arch. He will be looking for those shots all afternoon long. Mississippi State 5, Auburn 11

15:50 - Media timeout on the floor. The Bulldogs are playing like they normally do on the road with slow starts and many missed opportunities. Auburn is playing fast and with energy something Mississippi State needs to contain in the early goings of this game. Mississippi State 2, Auburn 8 

17:04- The Bulldogs have started the game off slow and are in desperate need of a bucket but Jones Jr. gets the ball and scores on the fast break. Mississippi State 2, Auburn 6

Mississippi State Starting Five	Auburn Starting Five
Shakeel Moore	Aden Holloway
Shawn Jones Jr,	Denver Jones
Josh Hubbard	Jaylin Williams
Tolu Smith III	Johni Broome
Cameron Matthews	Chad Baker-Mazara

AUBURN, Al - The Mississippi State Bulldogs are back on the road, looking for the team's third straight road victory. In the Bulldog's way are the No. 11 Auburn Tigers who are 3-3 in their last six games.

In their last meeting, the Bulldogs won at home thanks to team performance on the rebounding side of the ball by out boarding the Tigers 45-30. Star freshman Josh Hubbard scored a game-high 17 points while Cameron Matthews had a double-double with points and rebounds, and Shakeel Moore both had double-digit points.

The same will be needed for this game, as Hubbard is on a hot streak by scoring back-to-back 30-point games and he will be looking for another one.

How to Watch: Mississippi State at No. 11 Auburn

What: Mississippi State Bulldogs (19-9, 8-7 SEC) at No. 11 Auburn (21-7, 10-5 SEC)

Where: Neville Arena, Auburn, Al

When: Saturday, March 2 at 3:00 p.m. CT

TV: ESPN2 

How To Watch: Mississippi State Men's Basketball At No. 11 Auburn