Mississippi State Men's Basketball Rallies Past Jackson State, 69-59
Mississippi State men's basketball defeated Jackson State on the road, 69-59, on Wednesday night.
Despite being designated as a home game, the game was played inside Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Mississippi, the hometown of the Jackson State Tigers. The Bulldogs also wore maroon uniforms that are usually reserved for road games.
The game was a closely contested matchup, with Jackson State up 16-6 five minutes into the first half. The Bulldogs' offense helped propel them ahead of the Tigers later in the frame, shooting 46.9% from the field but 8-26 (30.8%) from three.
In the second half, the Bulldogs trailed Jackson State with eight minutes left in the game but went on an offensive outburst. They proceeded to outscore the Tigers 17-6 in the final stretch.
Bulldog forward DJ Jeffries help the team secure the win, scoring a team-high 15 points for the night, including six while trailing in the second half. He also recorded five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
"It wasn't the prettiest win but we'll take it," said Jeffries. "We had to grit and grind this one. Obviously, we wanted the game to be way better but we'll take a win before a loss any day."
Forward Tolu Smith and guard Eric Reed Jr. also scored in double digits, with both players recording 13 points each.
Bulldog forward Keshawn Murphy, who was absent against Minnesota, played in Wednesday's contest, putting up 10 points, three rebounds, and two assists, while making 3/4 field goals and going 2/3 from the three.
"I just came in and played my role," Murphy said. "It was a close game so I took shots that were open and made the right plays."
Jackson State is the first team to score more than 55 points against Mississippi State this season, with 59. The Bulldogs' defense has allowed less than 55 points a game prior to Wednesday's matchup.
"We had to kind of start over in the middle of the game and make major adjustments that we hadn't made all year long," Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans said. "Some of them were things that we hadn't even practiced. Fortunately, they helped us. At the end of the day, you've got to figure out how to win the game. But this will be something we learn from and grow from and will end up being really good for us."
With the win, the Bulldogs remain undefeated at 10-0. It is the team's first 10-0 start since the 2003-04 season, the same season they won the SEC regular season title.
Mississippi State returns to Starkville to host Nicholls on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT in Humphrey Coliseum. The game will be aired on SEC Network.
