Josh Hubbard scored 22 points to lead Mississippi State to a 94 -56 win over Alabama State on Monday in Starkville, Miss.
Hubbard made 9 of 13 shot attempts and connected on 4 of 7 3-pointers.
King Grace contributed 14 points, and Ja’Borri McGhee added 10 points, both in a reserve role. Achor Achor had 11 points for the Bulldogs (8-5), who rolled to their fourth straight win.
Asjon Anderson paced the Hornets (3-10) with 17 points. Micah Simpson pitched in 14 points, and Tyler Byrd added 10 points for Alabama State, which has lost seven straight games.
Led by Quincy Ballard’s 15 boards, Mississippi State held a 49-27 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs also shot 54% from the field (37 of 69), while Alabama State shot 28% (14 of 50).
The Bulldogs took a 15-6 lead at the first media timeout as Hubbard went on a 9-0 run when he made a three on three straight possessions. The first trey came after he grabbed his own rebound. Mississippi State held a 20-6 edge in second-chance points
Anderson kept Alabama State close with a three to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 25-18 midway through the first half. But another Hubbard three stretched the Mississippi State lead to 28-18.
A Byrd layup at 8:31 sliced the Mississippi State lead to 30-20. From there, the Hornets’ offense went ice cold, and Mississippi State took control. A Sergej Macura three from the corner gave the Bulldogs a 45-24 lead.
Jamarion Davis-Fleming and Grace pounded home one-handed dunks on consecutive possessions to cap the Bulldogs’ first-half scoring. Mississippi State outscored the Hornets 50-12 in the paint.
But Anderson rebounded his own shot and hit a fall-away three from the corner as time expired. While Alabama State made eight free throws, Anderson’s shot was the first Hornets’ basket since Bird’s layup as they faced a 49-31 halftime deficit.
After the Hornets opened the second half with a 4-0 run, Mississippi State answered with a 10-3 rally, punctuated by Hubbard’s mid-range jumper for a 59-38 lead with 15:36 remaining.
A pair of free throws from Damarien Yates cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 61-42, the closest the Hornets got the rest of the way.
