Postgame Notes: State vs. North Alabama

TEAM NOTES

Mississippi State began its 2025-26 campaign with a strong finishing kick to claim an 86-62 victory over North Alabama on Wednesday evening at Humphrey Coliseum.
Early in the second half, the Bulldogs ripped off 15 consecutive points over a 4:24 span to turn a 51-42 deficit into a 57-51 advantage with 11:39 remaining.
State didn't stop there and ripped off another flurry with 19 of the last 22 points during the final 7:06 to wrap up the 24-point decision.
The Bulldogs have won 12 of their last 13 season openers since 2013-14 highlighted by all four debuts under Coach Jans.
The four wins with Coach Jans at the helm have come by an average of 20.8 points per game.
Coach Jans moved to 10-0 in his season openers as a NCAA Division I head coach. Nine of the ten victories have come by double digits.
The Bulldogs have compiled a 36-3 mark versus non-SEC opponents during the regular season under Coach Jans headlined by 19 of 20 decisions at Humphrey Coliseum.
Coach Jans has led the Maroon and White to a 20-2 record during the month of November.
State has won all six meetings with North Alabama, and the Bulldogs also have a combined 23-1 mark against current Atlantic Sun schools.
State had eight players of its 11 players who saw action tally at least five points. Four of the eight players who accomplished the feat came off the bench.
The Bulldogs dominated the interior and converted on 21 of their 31 baskets in the paint to garner a 42-24 advantage in paint points.
State outrebounded the Lions, 53-36, on the strength of 19 offensive rebounds.
The Bulldogs improved to 33-10 under Coach Jans when eclipsing 40+ rebounds.
State dished out 15 assists on 31 buckets with three players handing out multiple dimes.
The Bulldogs had four players collect multiple steals and two players secure a pair of blocks.
State scored 17 of the game's 26 points in transition.
As a team, the Bulldogs connected on 31-71 from the field (43.7 percent), sank 8-for-27 from three-point territory (29.6 percent) and hit on 16-of-24 at the foul line (66.7 percent).
State advanced to 54-9 under Coach Jans when shooting a higher field goal percentage than its opponent.
Conversely, North Alabama recorded a 24-65 shooting effort (36.9 percent), connected on a 7-of-19 clip on its three-pointers (36.8 percent) and knocked down 7-for-12 at the charity stripe (58.3 percent).

PLAYER NOTES

Josh Hubbard

Started his 51st consecutive game over the past three seasons.
Dialed up a game-high 27 points fueled by a trio of three-pointers and a 10-of-12 mark at the foul line.
Dished out a career-high eight assists against zero turnovers.
State moved to 8-2 when Hubbard hands out 5+ assists.
Scored double figures in 43 of his last 44 outings (02/24/2024-11/05/2025).
Notched 10+ points in 64 of 70 career games and produced his 28th effort of 20+ points.
The 27 points brought his career total to 1,267 which helped him surpass Jerry Graves (1959-60-61) and Jack Bouldin (1970-71-72) to move into 25th place on State's all-time scoring list.
Hit a three-pointer in a school-record 48 consecutive games (02/07/2024-11/05/2025) and knocked down multiple three's in 60 of 70 career outings.
The three triples brought his career total to 219 which allowed him to claim sole possession of fifth place in program history. He surpassed Tyson Carter (2017-18-19-20) during tonight's game. .
Added a pair of steals for his 14th effort with multiple steals.

Jayden Epps

Saw action in his 89th career game and made his 62nd career start between his stops at Illinois, Georgetown and State.
Chipped in five points and two rebounds.

Shawn Jones Jr.

Jones Jr. made his second straight start in a season opener for State.
Provided seven points, a career-high nine rebounds and compiled two steals.
Opened the scoring for State on a layup which was assisted by Josh Hubbard.
Garnered 5+ points in six of his last 10 appearances.
Delivered multiple steals for the 20th time in his career.

Achor Achor

Appeared in his 113th career game between Chipola College, Samford, Kansas State and Mississippi State.
Managed eight rebound and two blocks.
Grabbed 5+ boards for the 34th time in his career.
Blocked multiple shots for the 27th time in his career.

Quincy Ballard

Started his 68th consecutive game between Wichita State and Mississippi State over the last three seasons.
Registered eight points on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting coupled with seven rebounds.
Amassed 5+ rebounds in 9 of his last 10 appearances and in 55 career outings.

Bench

Jamarion Davis-Fleming, Ja'Borri McGhee, Brandon Walker, Sergej Macura and King Grace all scored their first points as Bulldogs off the bench.
McGhee led all bench players in scoring courtesy of 14 points to go along with four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Collected his 22nd career outing with 10+ points.
State and UAB have combined for a 16-6 record when McGhee scores in double figures.
Secured multiple steals in 14 career games.
Sergej Macura hauled down a team-leading 12 rebounds and totaled seven points.
Eight of his 12 boards were on the defensive end.
Davis-Fleming recorded five points, three rebounds and two blocks in his collegiate debut.
Grace managed four points and two assists in his college opener.
Dellquan Warren equaled his career-best with five points in 10 minutes of action.

Postgame Notes: State vs. North Alabama

Players Mentioned

Achor Achor

Quincy Ballard

Jamarion Davis-Fleming

Jayden Epps

King Grace

Josh Hubbard

Shawn Jones Jr.

Sergej Macura

Ja’Borri McGhee

Brandon Walker

Dellquan Warren

Mississippi State University Athletics

Postgame Notes: State vs. North Alabama

Related News

Players Mentioned

Achor Achor

Quincy Ballard

Jamarion Davis-Fleming

Jayden Epps

King Grace

Josh Hubbard

Shawn Jones Jr.

Sergej Macura

Ja’Borri McGhee

Brandon Walker

Dellquan Warren

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