Mississippi State routs Tennessee Martin behind Josh Hubbard's 22 points

Mississippi State opened the 2023-24 schedule this week with a pair of games, knowing they would be without starters Tolu Smith and Shakeel Moore. But the Bulldogs also have a deep roster in Chris Jans’ second season at the helm and that was on display again Saturday.

Freshman Josh Hubbard had a game-high 22 points to lead Mississippi State (2-0) to an easy 87-63 victory over Tennessee Martin at Humphrey Coliseum. Senior Cameron Matthews added 12 while newcomers Trey Fort and Gai Chol each had 11.

The Bulldogs made 13 of 39 from 3 point range and in the first two games of the season, State has made at least ten 3 pointers. Last year, the Bulldogs’ season-high in 3 pointers made was nine.

“Back in the fall when we started getting back together, I told y’all we were going to shoot the 3 better,” said head coach Chris Jans. “Remember that? Of course, we were last in the country (last year). I didn’t know we would shoot 39 of them the second game out of the chute but we did. Historically, my teams have shot a bunch of them and I think last year we shot the less amount of 3s (among any of my teams).

“But I don’t know if we will shoot that many every game. It sure is nice to have guys that can knock down shots.”

Leading by 14 at the half, Mississippi State steadily extended its lead in the second half over the Skyhawks (1-1). The Bulldogs led by as many as 24 in the second half, which was the final margin of victory. For the game, State shot 41% from the floor while holding the Skyhawks to 33%.

“Last year people got a feel for us,” noted Matthews. “They started packing the paint and giving us the perimeter. But they can’t do that this year and they have to guard the entire court. I also think we are all starting to figure out our roles.”

Hubbard, a former Madison-Ridgeland Academy standout, was 7 of 12 from the field and 5 of 8 behind the arc. He was also 3 of 4 at the charity stripe and added three assists and three rebounds.

State was also 20 of 26 at the foul line and had nine turnovers. The Bulldogs also out-rebounded Tennessee-Martin, 45-43, with senior Jimmy Bell leading State with 12 rebounds.

Overall in the backcourt, State’s guards combined for 45 points and Jans also rotated in several different combinations from start to finish.

“That’s a credit to Coach Jans and Coach (Dave) Anwar,” said Hubbard. “They help us be able to (play both guard spots) and helps us to give different looks.”

Jordan Sears had 21 points to pace UT Martin while KK Curry added 13 for the Skyhawks, who have dropped 10 of their 11 meetings all-time with Mississippi State.

Both teams struggled offensively in the opening minutes until the Bulldogs reeled off nine straight points. Gai Chol completed a 3 point play to give State a 15-8 lead with 14:34 left in the half.

The Bulldogs maintained the lead the rest of the half and used a 6-0 spurt to hold a 41-27 advantage at halftime.

Mississippi State shot 41% in the opening half and made 4 of 16 behind the arc. The Bulldogs were 11 of 16 at the foul line and had five first-half turnovers. The Skyhawks shot just 26% in the first half and made just 1 of 13 from 3 point range. The Skyhawks had seven turnovers in the opening half and out-rebounded State 26-23.

Afterwards, Jans was asked about the return of Moore and said there was not any update. Smith is expected to return in December at some point along with forward KeShawn Murphy, who also suffered from a foot injury. But for now, Jans is hoping to sustain depth until his entire roster is in tact.

“That’s a good question and I understand it,” said Jans of his rotation when injured players return. “But I don’t think about it right now because it is so far away, particularly for two (Smith and Murphy) of them. We are just trying to get better. We have a bunch of games to start off, like five games in 12 days. So we are trying to build better depth and build a better bench.”

Mississippi State returns to action Tuesday with a 6:30 p.m. tipoff against North Alabama at Humphrey Coliseum.