Mississippi State and No. 25 Ole Miss had another successful night on the hardwood, ousting non-conference opponents on Tuesday.
Both the Rebels and Bulldogs boast a 3-0 record after ending midweek contests on the right side of the scoreboard. Here’s how it happened:
Mississippi State
Standout Bulldog guard Josh Hubbard had 23 points in Mississippi State’s 80-59 home win over Southeastern Louisiana, despite a lackluster offensive showing by the team as a whole. Hubbard was 57% from the floor, 50% from behind the arc, and hit three of his four free throws on the night.
The Lions threatened, trailing by just three at halftime. However, Chris Jans’ crew took care of business in the second half, outscoring Southeastern Louisiana 40-22 largely due to a 9-0 run in the final four minutes of action.
Mississippi State outscored its foe 38-16 in the paint and forced 19 turnovers in a contest where the three-ball was not falling for anybody except for Hubbard. Kanye Clary scored 13 points and KeyShawn Murphy put 10 on the board. Olive Branch native Cam Matthews led the team in rebounds with 13.
Next up for Mississippi State is a Sunday afternoon matchup against Utah at the Landers Center in Southaven at 3 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
Ole Miss
A career-high 27 points from Virginia Tech transfer Sean Pedulla carried the Rebels to a 64-54 win over South Alabama in Tad Smith Coliseum. With star guard Matthew Murrell out for the contest, Rebel head coach Chris Beard needed someone to step up, and Pedulla delivered.
Ole Miss led by 12 at the half and showed promise, but a gritty Jaguar squad continuously cut into the Rebels’ lead in the final 20 minutes of play. A trio of successful three-pointers in the last four minutes of Tuesday’s matchup allowed the red and blue to walk away a double-digit victor.
Jaemyn Brakefield scored 14 points and was perfect from the floor. The Jackson native was five-of-five from the floor and two-of-two from behind the arc. Belmont transfer Malik Dia led the Rebels in rebounding with a personal-best 13 boards.
Next up for Ole Miss is a Saturday afternoon contest against Colorado State in the Landers Center in Southaven at 3 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+ and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
