Bulldogs drop 61-52 decision to Houston in exhibition game

Mississippi State played its first and only exhibition game of the season on Sunday night and dropped a 61-52 decision to Houston, the NCAA national runner-up from a year ago. The game was held in the Fort Bend Epicenter in Rosenberg, Texas.

Josh Hubbard was the lone Bulldog in double digits and scored 16 of his game-high 18 points in the second half. Senior Shawn Jones had nine points and sophomore Dellquan Warren had five points. Warren also had a team-best three assists while Achor Achor led State with seven rebounds.

“Everyone treats these opportunities differently,” head coach Chris Jans said afterwards. “I’m a big fan of seeing what we have up and down the roster. We got a lot of new players like most people in the country. But you only get a couple of these opportunities so I like to throw them in the deep end and see how they react, see how they compete or don’t.

“So that was definitely the plan and I think we played 12 guys eight minutes or more. So it will be great tape and hopefully a learning experience for us.”

Starting guard Jayden Epps suffered a head injury early in the game and only played four minutes for Mississippi State.

For Houston, Joseph Tugler led the way with 17 points and seven rebounds. Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp also finished in double digits with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

All five Houston starters played at least 27 minutes in the exhibition while Hubbard and Jones were the only two Bulldogs that played more than 20 minutes.

“We started setting (better) ball screens (for Hubbard), in my opinion,” added Jans. “We tried to early and just threw that out the window and did some things on the fly. They were as advertised. We really struggled in the first half, especially.

“I thought we were much better in the second half handling it and attacking the pressure on the ball. Josh missed some shots he normally makes in the first half. He is a savvy veteran and once he hit one, everyone knows he has a chance to make three or four more.”

Three freshmen – Jamarion Davis-Fleming, King Grace and Cameren Paul – played for State tonight. Due to foul trouble in the post, Davis-Fleming played 15 minutes and had four points. Jans noted of his performance afterwards.

“It really opened up an opportunity for JMar to get in there and compete,” Jans mentioned of Davis-Fleming. “He’s really been getting better since he arrived. He is a true freshman and it didn’t hurt that he got out there and looked like a player. He’s got some athleticism in his game and hopefully that will give him confidence moving forward.”

For the game, State shot 40% from the field, made 5 of 15 from 3 point territory and made 15 of 26 at the charity stripe. The Bulldogs had 16 turnovers and were out-rebounded 41-35, including 19 offensive boards for Houston.

The Cougars shot 35% from the field and made 3 of 20 beyond the 3 point arc. Houston made 14 of 23 at the line and had nine turnovers.

Trailing 24-18 at halftime, State saw Houston build the lead to as many as 12 points in the second half. However, Hubbard went on a personal 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 44-41 with 8:55 remaining in regulation. State got within three points again at 46-43 before a 8-1 Houston run stretched the lead back out and State did not got within seven points the rest of the way.

In the first half, State shot just 27.8% from the field and made just 1 of 8 from the 3 point arc. The Bulldogs were 7 of 13 at the free throw line in the opening half, had 11 turnovers and were out-rebounded 23-19.

“If I’m being honest, it’s like walking out in the cold and feeling like you’re never going to recover,” Jans noted. “I think that is what it felt like for our team (in the first half). We were having a hard time getting a shot off without turning the ball over. We had a hard time securing their defensive rebounds when the ball is shot. Certainly when you play Houston that’s going to be the case.

“But I was happy and proud we took the big punch and they punched back. When you got into these games you’re always going to have some adversity. We had some real adversity on the road and for the most part, I thought the guys handled it pretty well.”

Houston shot just 27.3% in the opening half and made 1 of 11 from 3 point territory. The Cougars were 5 of 8 from the foul line and had six first-half turnovers.

Mississippi State opens the regular season on Nov. 5th when North Alabama visits Humphrey Coliseum for an 8 p.m. tipoff.