Mississippi State basketball is back on track. The Bulldogs defeated rival Ole Miss 84-81 in overtime in front of berserk Humphrey Coliseum crowd Saturday night, handing the Rebels their first SEC loss.
State dominated the game early and led by as much as 14 at times, but hot shooting and Bulldogs' miscues kept Ole Miss in the game. A Matthew Murrell thee with nine seconds left in regulation tied the game at 74, sending it to overtime.
The outlook was bleak in the extra period before a wild sequence put the Bulldogs ahead, and they held on for a much-needed win over their in-state foes. MSU is now 15-3 on the year, 3-2 in the SEC.
Mississippi State was too physical for Ole Miss
Ole Miss had a better shooting performance than Mississippi State, especially from three. And the Bulldogs committed far too many turnovers that led to easy points for the Rebels. But State was able to win the game by physically dominating Ole Miss.
The Bulldogs dominated the glass with a 51-29 rebounding advantage. They had a 19-6 edge in second-chance points, which proved to be the key statistic in the game's outcome. KeShawn Murphy and Cam Matthews both finished with double-doubles, proving to be too much inside for Ole Miss to handle. That toughness is why MSU prevailed.
Bulldogs' thrilling overtime sequence will go down in Mississippi State history
After the Rebels had forced overtime, State's chances at getting a win suddenly seemed slim. All the momentum with with Ole Miss, and they had seen their first leads of the game. When the Bulldogs turned it over at midcourt and the Rebels got a run out with under 2 minutes to go, hope was on the brink of being erased.
But then we got a remarkable sequence that will remain etched in the minds of Bulldogs' fans forever.
THIS SEQUENCE BY @HailStateMBK 🤯🔥 pic.twitter.com/kPjCiOfpPi
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) January 19, 2025
RJ Melendez blocks a Matthew Murrell layup that would've put Ole Miss ahead by three. KeShawn Murphy grabs the rebound and passes to Josh Hubbard. Hubbard throws up a lob to Cam Matthews, who had the wherewithal to recognize he won't be able to convert and kicks it out to an open Riley Kugel in the corner.
Kugel, on his way to a 21-point performance, drained the three and puts State ahead by two. Mayhem in Humphrey Coliseum.
If Melendez doesn't get the block, State likely loses. If Matthews doesn't kick out to Kugel, the final is still very much in doubt. This was simply an elite series of plays made even more impressive given how critical it was to the outcome, and I cannot stop watching it.
Win over Ole Miss gets Mississippi State basketball back on track
Two-straight losses had moral low with MSU basketball, and had they fallen at home to their rivals, there's a chance the season may have begun to spiral. With the win, the Bulldogs have righted the ship. They're back above .500 in SEC play and are nearing "lock status" with regards to the NCAA Tournament after another Quad 1 victory.
Things aren't getting any easier for State. They have to travel to Knoxville Tuesday night to face a highly-ranked and hungry Tennessee team. But they now enter that game with some momentum and can potentially get back to where they were just a few weeks back, challenging for one of the top seeds in the Big Dance.