WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Mississippi State’s unbeaten start ended Friday night in West Virginia, as Xavier pulled away for an 81-63 win at the Greenbrier Tip-Off and the Bulldogs of Starkville, Miss., dropped to 3-1.
Cold shooting from the perimeter sank the Bulldogs. They made just 4 of 29 three-point tries, 13.8 percent, and hit 33.3 percent of their shots overall. Xavier knocked down 10 of 23 from deep.
Mississippi State opened the scoring with the game’s first four points, but Xavier answered with a 9-0 burst and never trailed again in the half. The Musketeers closed the half on a 13-4 spurt over the final three and a half minutes to lead 41-31.
The margin kept growing after the break. Xavier stretched it to 59-41 with about 12 and a half minutes left and led by at least 14 the rest of the way, topping out at 69-50.
Josh Hubbard led the Bulldogs with 12 points and RJ Johnson scored 11. Three more steals would make Hubbard just the ninth player in SEC history with at least 2,000 career points, 300 assists and 100 steals over a career. The Bulldogs did win the offensive glass 15-13 and turned it into 18 second-chance points, but also turned the ball over 18 times.
Tru Washington paced Xavier, now 4-0, with a season-high 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists. The Bulldogs head to UCF on Tuesday.
For Starkville fans, the trip to the Greenbrier offered an early measuring stick against a Big East opponent. The Bulldogs will need a far better night from beyond the arc to keep pace on the road at UCF, and the matchup gives them a quick chance to reset before the heart of the nonconference schedule.
Section: More Starkville MS sports news
Filed under: Starkville MS Sports News
