Mississippi State falls to Xavier 81-63 at Greenbrier Tipoff
Mississippi State lost to Xavier 81-63 on Friday at the Greenbrier Tipoff in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Xavier built a 41-31 halftime lead and kept the Bulldogs at a distance in the second half.
The Bulldogs scored the game’s first four points on layups by ND Okafor and Josh Hubbard. Xavier answered with nine straight points and led 28-20 with 5:52 left in the first half. Mississippi State cut the margin to one, 28-27, after a 7-0 run that included five consecutive points by Hubbard and a Tajuan Simpkins jumper. Xavier closed the half with a 10-point advantage, helped by six 3-pointers, 11-for-13 free-throw shooting and 20 bench points.
Mississippi State got within eight early in the second half, but did not close the gap further. The Bulldogs shot 22 of 66 from the field, including 4 of 29 from 3-point range, and made 15 of 22 free throws. They scored 36 points in the paint, compared with 24 for Xavier, and collected 15 offensive rebounds. Mississippi State scored 18 of the game’s 26 second-chance points.
Hubbard led Mississippi State with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists. The senior guard reached 2,013 career points, passing Quinndary Weatherspoon for third on the program’s all-time scoring list, according to the team. Hubbard also became the 18th Mississippi State player to reach 300 career assists; he has 301.
RJ Johnson added 11 points, two rebounds and two assists. Off the bench, Willie Burnett III scored nine points, making all six of his free throws. King Grace had seven points, while Tristan Reed contributed six points and a team-high seven rebounds. Xavier’s bench outscored Mississippi State’s 34-29.
Mississippi State was outrebounded 44-43. The Bulldogs’ record against Xavier stands at 4-2, though the teams have split their last four meetings. The loss left coach Chris Jans’ team with a 46-10 regular-season record against non-SEC opponents under his leadership, according to the team notes.
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