Mississippi State Men's Basketball Defeats Ole Miss For First SEC Win

The Bulldogs outlasted Ole Miss at home for their first win in conference play.

Mississippi State defeated Ole Miss, 64-54, in a sold-out Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday for the Bulldogs' first conference win this season under first-year head coach Chris Jans.

It was not an easy game for the Bulldogs. In the first half, they led 26-23 at halftime. Their shooting continued to be a problem down the stretch, shooting 23-of-58 (39.7%) from the field, 5-of-15 (33.3%) from the three and 13-of-26 (50.0%) from the free throw line.

Down seven points halfway through the second half, the Bulldogs started to get into a rhythm. They proceeded to go on a powerful 16-3 run to propel themselves in front with the help of a pair of back-to-back three-pointers from guards Eric Reed Jr. and Shakeel Moore.

The Bulldogs' defense also held the Rebels to a combined 19-of-53 (35.8%) field goal shooting and forced 15 turnovers.

"I don't know how tough we were all the time, but we stuck together," Bulldog head coach Chris Jans said. "We stuck together when things weren't going our way. The bench was really good. The huddles were good. Then finally, we got on that run and were able to hold [Ole Miss] off."

Mississippi State forward Tolu Smith finished the game with 12 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal. He surpassed the 1,000 career point mark in Saturday's win over the Rebels. 

MSU forward Will McNair Jr. also finished in double digits, with a season-high 13 points, seven rebounds and one block.

"Obviously, we didn't start out conference play the way we wanted to," Reed said. "But this win was something we needed to jumpstart us and get us back in the light. That's what we did."

With Saturday's victory, Mississippi State improves to a 12-3 record on the season, including 1-2 in SEC play. The win also snaps a three-game losing skid for the Bulldogs.

Next up, the Bulldogs will hit the road to play Georgia on Wednesday, Jan. 11, in Athens, GA. The game will be aired on SEC Network.