Riley Kugel scored a game-high 21 points and No. 15 Mississippi State held off No. 21 Ole Miss 84-81 in overtime on Saturday in Starkville, Miss.
Keshawn Murphy added 18 points and 11 rebounds, RJ Melendez scored 12, Cameron Matthews had 10 points and 11 rebounds and Josh Hubbard scored 10 for the Bulldogs (15-3, 3-2 SEC).
Jaemyn Brakefield scored 20, Sean Pedulla had 18, Matthew Murrell had 15 and Jaylen Murray 10 to lead the Rebels (15-3, 4-1).
Pedulla made one of two free throws to give the Rebels a 77-76 lead before Kugel’s 3-pointer gave the Bulldogs a two-point lead with 1:35 left in overtime.
Melendez’s basket pushed the lead to four before Brakefield’s basket cut the lead to two with 30 seconds left. Murphy made one of two free throws, Pedulla missed a 3-pointer and Kugel made two free throws with 11 seconds left.
Murrell had eight points during a 9-2 start to the second half that pulled Ole Miss within 39-38. Hubbard answered with a 3-pointer that started a 7-0 run, giving MSU an eight-point lead.
Malik Dia made two 3-pointers, Pedulla made one and the Rebels crept within 48-47. The Bulldogs pushed the lead back to eight midway through the half before the Rebels pulled even twice. Matthews and Murphy made baskets to give MSU a four-point lead.
Ole Miss got within two points on three occasions before Melendez made one of two free throws for a 74-71 lead with 24 seconds left. Murrell made a 3-pointer with nine seconds left to send the game to overtime.
MSU scored the first 11 points of the game and Ole Miss didn’t score until Murray made a jumper more than four minutes into the game. Kugel added a 3-pointer, but Matthews and Murphy made consecutive baskets to give the Bulldogs an 18-4 lead.
Brakefield answered with a 3-pointer and Davon Barnes made a jumper that pulled the Rebels within seven points. MU expanded the lead to 14 points on three occasions before Pedulla and Davis made back-to-back 3-pointers to trim the lead to 37-29 at halftime.
–Field Level Media
