Mississippi State Men's Basketball Outworks Rebels For Fourth Straight Win

The Bulldogs extended their win streak to four after suffocating Ole Miss in the second half.

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Mississippi State stifled the first-half offensive of the rebels as they defeated Ole Miss 81-73 to extend its win streak to four.

The story of the game was the second-half adjustments that the Bulldogs came out with that held the Rebels to 27 points in the period. Cameron Matthews was a big part of setting the tone coming out in the second half winning balls that other players would not be able to get. 

"The message coming out of half was to ball them up for the first 10 minutes and try to guard the ball, be real active, and just be in attack mode. So I just took what the defensive game me," Matthews on the second-half adjustments. 

Another key thing that led the Bulldogs to victory was the bench production that helped Mississippi State take control of the game. From the bench came 49 points that elevated a down offensive night from Josh Hubbard who did not get looks that he normally would get. However, Tolu Smith III came off the bench, a move that head coach Chris Jans said was between him and Smith. 

It seemed to light a fire under him, as he scored 17 of his 24 points in the first half alone while Jimmy Bell Jr. set the tone in the starting role at the beginning of the game. 

MSU was the more active and aggressive team throughout the second period however Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard did not take lightly the free throw disparity in the game. The Rebels went 19-21 from the charity stripe while State was 23-39. 

This is four in a row for the Bulldogs and they are taking their winning ways back on the road as they head to Baton Rouge to face the LSU Tigers on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on SEC Network. 

Here's How It Happened:

Mississippi State lost in the last meeting between the Bulldogs and the Rebels 86-82 in an offensive showcase for both teams but this time should be different as this game has major postseason implications. 

MSU has proven to be a better team at home than on the road with its only road victory this season against Missouri, while Ole Miss and its high-powered offense do not travel well. The Rebels also only have one road conference victory this season and that was against Texas A&M.

The last game was dictated by the ruckus crowd in Oxford who pushed for a high offensive but MSU's play style is to slow the pace down and have control of the tempo of the game. A sold-out electric crowd at The Hump will help with the Bulldog's goals as they are looking for their fourth straight victory.

What: Mississippi State Bulldogs (17-8, 6-6 SEC) versus Ole Miss Rebels (19-6, 6-6 SEC)

Where: Humphrey Coliseum

TV: ESPN 2

When: Wednesday, 8 p.m. Central

Mississippi State Starting Five	Ole Miss Starting Five
Shakeel Moore	Jaylen Murray
Shawn Jones Jr.	Allen Flanigan
Josh Hubbard	Matthew Murrell
Cameron Matthews	Jaemyn Brakefield
Jimmy Bell Jr.	Moussa Cisse

First Half

This story will be regularly updated throughout the game.

How To Watch: Mississippi State Men's Basketball Versus Ole Miss

18:26 - The crowd is electric inside The Hump and the Bulldogs are taking advantage of it on the defensive end. Jimmy Bell Jr. is starting in place of Tolu Smith III and scored the first points of the game. Matthews fouls early and the Rebels are sent to the line and they make both. Mississippi State 2, Ole Miss 2

16:18 - Bell scores an easy basket off an offensive rebound. Tolu Smith comes in from the bench with a new hairstyle and instantly scores while getting fouled. Mississippi State 7, Ole Miss 2

15:35 - Media timeout on the floor and the pace of the game is in favor of the Bulldogs. It has the making of a slow grind-it-out type of game with almost one minute in, Ole Miss only has one field goal. Smith has come in and has made it clear that he is planning on making an impact in this game. Mississippi State 7, Ole Miss 4

13:41 - Ole Miss takes a timeout after MSU was close to forcing a five-second violation. Smith has a quickness to him that hasn't been seen in quite some time. He has nine points so far in the game and D.J. Jefferies has entered the game and instantly hits a 3-pointer in the corner. Mississippi State 16, Ole Miss 6

12:58 - Jeffries saves the Bulldogs from a terrible turnover and gets sent to the line after getting fouled. He makes both free throws and the Bulldogs are 5-5 from the free-throw line so far tonight. Mississippi State 18, Ole Miss 8

10:17 - Media timeout on the floor and Ole Miss has started to find their offense scoring seven straight points on their past three possession. The Bulldogs are still scoring with Hubbard hitting a three after almost fumbling the ball and Keshawn Murphy following a missed Hubbard three while getting fouled. He misses the free throw. Mississippi State 25, Ole Miss 15

7:34 - Smith is now up to 13 points for the game but Ole Miss's offense has been clicking and they are still finding ways to score on the Bulldogs. Mississippi State 29, Ole Miss 22

6:50 - Media timeout on the floor as Ole Miss has not stopped scoring. The movement of their offensive has started to catch MSU off guard but State finds ways to soften the blow by scoring on offense themselves. Mississippi 31, Ole Miss 25

5:21 - Ole Miss has scored five straight points and the offensive of the Bulldogs has become stagnant. Smith gets fouled and is 5-5 from the free throw line so far this game and has 15 points coming off the bench. Mississippi State 33, Ole Miss 30

4:30 - Chris Jans call a timeout. Since their hot start, the Bulldogs started to become sloppy with the ball and Ole Miss is taking advantage of its opportunities. They are on a 7-0 run and MSU has not had a field goal in the last 3:32. Mississippi State 33, Ole Miss 37

1:22 - Moore has been lights out over the past couple of games and gives a lift to the Bulldogs scoring a three. Hubbard also finds Smith on a pick-and-roll to get fouled while scoring. He hits his free throws. Ole Miss is still having an efficient game shooting 50 percent from the field and three and 100 percent from the free throw line. Mississippi State 40, Ole Miss 42

Halftime: Mississippi State 40, Ole Miss 44

Second Half

19:00 - Matthews opens the half getting fouled on a drive to the paint. He makes both free throws and after a good defensive possession Hubbard hits a floater and follows that by forcing a turnover. Matthews picks it up and gets fouled again while driving to the paint and makes both free throws again. Mississippi State 46, Ole Miss 44

17:24 A rare sight but Matthews shot a 3-pointer and it was nothing but net. The confidence the Bulldogs have come out of the locker room with is radiating throughout the hump. Mississippi State 51, Ole Miss 50

15:47 Media timeout on the floor and it has been a battle between Ole Miss's Matthew Murrell and Tolu Smith who both have 20 points for the game. Coming out of the timeout Smith will be at the line to shoot two free-throws. He misses both but grabs his miss and goes up to score. Mississippi State 53, Ole Miss 52

12:17 - The game has been slow halfway through but the Bulldogs are working harder than the Rebels on the little things. They are winning the rebound battle and generating more turnovers than Ole Miss. Mississippi State 59, Ole Miss 55

10:53 - Ole Miss takes a time-out. Mississippi State has taken advantage of the slow pace second half by finding timely shots with great ball movement and great defense on the other end. Mississippi State 64, Ole Miss 57

7:55 - Media timeout on the floor and the Bulldogs are starting to suffocate the Rebels on offense with their defensive lineup they have in. The way the game has gone this lineup seems to be a bright spot with how much length is on the floor. Mississippi State 68, Ole Miss 57

7:07 - A technical foul gets called on Chris Jans for a disagreement with a couple of questionable calls in favor of Ole Miss. Mississippi State 68, Ole Miss 60

5:25 - Hubbard gets into foul trouble and this game has been slow because of the amount of fouls that have been committed in this game. Ole Miss has 21 personal fouls compared to 17 for MSU. Mississippi State 71, Ole Miss 66

4:08 - Media timeout on the floor. As of now, the Bulldogs have played a clean half with only one turnover after committing eight in the first half. The second half has turned into a battle at the charity stripe. Ole Miss is 19-21 at the line and MSU is 20-33. Mississippi State 76, Ole Miss 68

1:24 - Smith gets fouled and sent to the line to ice the game for the Bulldogs. He hits both and has a game of 24. Mississippi State 81, Ole Miss 68.

Final: Mississippi State 83, Ole Miss 71