Shakeel Moore scores 16, Mississippi State scores last five points to hold off Murray State 85-81

Dec 13, 2024, 10:01 pm

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- — Shakeel Moore scored 16 points, D.J. Jeffries had a double-double and Mississippi State scored the last five points of the game to hold off Murray State for an 85-81 victory on Wednesday night.

Cameron Mathews scored with a dunk following a timeout to give the Bulldogs an 82-81 lead with 28 seconds left. Jeffries then made 3 of 4 from the line to seal it.

Moore shot 5 of 5 from the field and made 4 of 5 free throws. Josh Hubbard added 15 points with three 3-pointers for Mississippi State (8-2), which shot 59% (27 of 45) from the field. Mathews finished with 13 points and Jeffries added 11 to go with 12 rebounds and four assists.

Mississippi State built a 19-point lead early in the second half before Murray State used a 20-4 run to pull to within 67-64 with 10:12 remaining. The Racers stayed within single digits then Rob Perry’s 3-pointer gave them their first lead of the game, 76-75, with 3:09 to play.

Perry was 7-of-14 shooting and scored 21 points to lead Murray State (3-6). JaCobi Wood added 18 points and Quincy Anderson had 17. Perry and Wood combined for eight of the Racers' 12 3-pointers.

Mississippi State had a double-digit lead with 4:10 remaining in the first half and led 53-41 at the break. A 10-3 spurt to open the second gave the Bulldogs their largest lead, 63-44, with 17:15 left.

Murray State hosts Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday. Mississippi State plays North Texas at Tupelo, Mississippi, on Sunday.

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