Mississippi State
2-0,0-0SEC
Northwestern State
0-2,0-0Southland
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern St. | 27 | 17 | 44 |
| Mississippi St. | 49 | 33 | 82 |
November 05, 2026 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State turned a strong defensive performance into a comfortable victory Thursday night, overwhelming Northwestern State 82-44 at Humphrey Coliseum.
The Bulldogs (2-0) controlled the game from the outset, scoring the first 10 points on the way to building a 49-27 halftime advantage. State then continued to pull away after the break.
Mississippi State held Northwestern State (0-2) to 26.7% shooting from 3-point range and forced the Demons into an overall inefficient offensive night, limiting them to 14-of-47 shooting from the field. The Bulldogs also blocked seven shots and came up with four steals.
MSU supplemented its defense with incredible offensive balance. A dozen Bulldogs scored with nine of them totaling at least six points, led by Josh Hubbard with 15. King Grace chipped in 12, while Kimani Hamilton added 10 points and seven rebounds. Thomas Bassong contributed eight points of his own, along with eight rebounds, to help the Maroon and White out-board the Demons by a 50-34 margin.
Overall, Mississippi State shot 40.6% as a team, and though the Dawgs finished 8-of-28 from beyond the arc, they did connect on six of their 14 first-half triples to help themselves blow the game open.
Grace hit MSU's first trey of the evening to cap the Bulldogs' game-opening 10-0 run. From there, the Demons never got back any closer than six points. By the 10:46 mark of the first half, MSU's lead was back at 10 points, and the Bulldogs maintained a double-digit edge the rest of the way.
Already well on the way to victory, MSU put an exclamation point on its win by scoring 11 of the contest's final 12 points.
Mississippi State will now look to complete a perfect three-game homestand to begin the 2026-27 season. Standing in MSU's way is Jackson State on Monday, Nov. 9. Tip time between the Bulldogs and Tigers is set for 6:30 p.m. at The Hump. The game will be streamed via SEC Network+.
