Melendez scores 17 points to lead No. 22 Mississippi State to 81-71 win over No. 19 Ole Miss

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — R.J. Melendez had 17 points to lead No. 22 Mississippi State’s balanced offense for an 81-71 win over No. 19 Mississippi and a season sweep of its in-state rival on Saturday night.

The Bulldogs (18-7, 6-6 Southeastern Conference) got 14 points from Josh Hubbard, while Riley Kugel had 11, and Keshawn Murphy and Claudell Harris Jr. had 10 each.

Jaylen Murray scored 14 and Sean Pedulla had 13 for Ole Miss (19-7, 8-5).

Hubbard was 3 for 13 from the floor, but his teammates had his back as the Bulldogs shot 51.7% in the first half and 43% for the game.

The lead peaked at 67-48 with just under nine minutes left when Kugel got a steal and passed ahead to Shawn Jones Jr. for a layup.

Melendez left the game briefly after a flagrant foul by Jaemyn Brakefield at the 10:50 mark. That resulted in four free throws and possession for the Bulldogs who upped their lead to 62-46.

Takeaways

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs held Ole Miss to 25% shooting from 3-point range.

Ole Miss: The Rebels lead the nation with just 8.8 turnovers per game but had 11 leading to 15 points.

Key Moment

The Rebels, down seven at the break, slipped further behind in the second half as the Bulldogs opened with a 15-11 run to take their first double-figure lead on Murphy’s putback at the 14:20 mark.

Key Stat

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs won the first game 84-81 in overtime. They are now 6-1 against Ole Miss under third-year coach Chris Jans.

Ole Miss: The Rebels were minus-12 on the glass after being minus-22 against the Bulldogs in Starkville.

Up Next

Mississippi State is at home against No. 8 Texas A&M on Tuesday night. Ole Miss plays at Vanderbilt on Saturday.

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