Mississippi State basketball snapped a two-game losing streak on Saturday. After a sluggish start, the #24 Bulldogs used a stellar second half to pull away from a struggling LSU squad, 81-69, and earn their 20th win.
The Bulldogs have now won at least 20 games in each of Chris Jans' first three seasons. They sit at 20-9 on the season and 8-8 in the SEC.
Josh Hubbard was the outstanding player Mississippi State has grown to expect
Josh Hubbard has had more of a streaky sophomore season than most would like. Much of that can be attributed to drawing more attention from defenses this year while also frequently needing to carry State as a shooter. But there have been nights where he's simply been off too.
He was on against LSU. Hubbard went for 30, his fourth 30-point performance of his career, making 9-18 field goals and 10-11 free throw attempts. What was most impressive is he did this without hitting at his usual clip from distance. He started 0-4 from three and ended 2-9. But he found plenty of success in the mid-range game and driving to the basket. He's a more complete player this year, and he can lead this team to a run.
Riley Kugel and Shawn Jones each had fantastic performances for the Bulldogs
State has desperately needed players outside of Josh Hubbard and KeShawn Murphy to step up. They found some help on Saturday from Riley Kugel and Shawn Jones. Kugel has had several rough games this season despite the excitement around him entering the year. He looked like the player he was recruited to be against the Tigers, scoring 12 on 5-6 shooting, including a pair of made threes.
Shawn Jones has turned into a spark plug for MSU as of late. While he's never going to light it up from a scoring standpoint, he can, similarly to Cam Matthews, shine in other ways. On Saturday he scored seven and had five rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. His defense is huge for this team. State needs Jones, Kugel, and others to step up down the stretch.
Mississippi State got a good defensive effort against LSU
State had played consecutive bad defensive games, getting roasted from three against Oklahoma and Alabama. On Saturday, we saw a much better effort. The Bulldogs held LSU to 39% shooting and 25% from three. They forced six steals and recorded seven blocks.
Former Bulldog Cam Carter was the lone Tiger hurting State in this game. He had 18 points on 7-9 shooting, including four made threes, in the first half. In the second half? Five on 2-7. Once State locked in on stopping him, LSU didn't have any other answers. If MSU can just find some consistency in limited their opponents, they can win in March.