State bench delivers as Bulldogs top Rebels at the Hump

All season long, Mississippi State’s strengths have come from the Bulldogs’ depth and never was it more important than on Saturday night.

It’s been a stretch of games where State’s most dangerous scorer, Josh Hubbard, has struggled to make shots, the Bulldogs needed others to step up. Riley Kugel and KeShawn Murphy provided the biggest lift from a bench that scored 44 points and State was able to survive an absolute war with No. 21 Ole Miss, 84-81 in overtime.

“I thought everybody that played had significant contributions to the game,” coach Chris Jans said. “With Murphy, we expect and rely on it. That’s just kind of who he is for us. Whatever your facet you’re doing in the game, you need to be accountable for it all the time. We’ve been talking to Murph about his rebounding. It’s good to see him have 11 against this quality team.”

Kugel’s return, Murphy’s inside presence proves large for State

After dealing with two separate injuries in the loss to Kentucky last week, Kugel missed the game in the Bulldogs defeat at No. 1 Auburn on Tuesday. On Saturday, Kugel was back in the fold and played a massive role in the victory.

Kugel put up 21 points in the game and made 4-of-8 shots from 3-point range in the game. It was just what State needed in a game where Ole Miss got hot from long range in the second half.

The biggest shot of the game for Kugel came in the final minutes of overtime. With the Rebels leading 77-76 in the final 2 minutes, a loose bell led out to a transition play for Matthew Murrell that was blocked by RJ Melendez. A pass from Matthews on the other end found Kugel for the wide open three and a 79-77 lead the team wouldn’t lose.

“I saw a three on two transition, so I knew we had to get the bucket. Mook could have scored, but he had that much trust in me that he kicked it out. I just stepped up and knocked it down.”

In the post, Murphy dictated what was a dominant night for the Bulldogs inside the paint.

State outrebounded the Rebels 51-29 with 19 offensive rebounds and had a 40-24 edge in paint points. Murphy had 18 of those points and was 8-of-12 from the field with 11 rebounds and he had three assists.

The effort from Murphy continued what has been a complete turnaround season for the junior forward. The Alabama native is averaging 10.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game this year in 23.5 minutes off the bench. He played 32 minutes on Saturday.

Most importantly, Murphy and State were tasked with defending the Rebels’ star center Malik Dia. After averaging 21.0 points and 11.3 rebounds the last three games including putting up 23 points and 19 boards at Bama, Murphy and crew clamped him down.

Dia finished the game with eight points, two rebounds and four turnovers in just 18 minutes with six of those points being from 3-pointers. The game plan was a success for State.

“Jans told us that it was going to be a tough matchup because Dia was a good offensive rebounder,” Murphy said. “Going into the game I knew that I had to be an offensive rebounder and check on both sides. We emphasized that and got it done.”

While just game five of a brutal conference slate, the Bulldogs (15-3, 3-2 SEC) felt like Saturday was a must-win. State dropped back-to-back games with a heartbreaking loss to Kentucky and then a blowout on the road at Auburn. After Ole Miss’ marquee win on the road against No. 4 Alabama earlier in the week, State knew that it had its hands full.

A packed Humphrey Coliseum helped will the Bulldogs to a win, but it was also the toughness down the stretch that would deliver the victory.

“We know every game in this league is going to be a dog fight so we’re going to attack it every day,” Kugel said. “It starts at practice, and we compete every day. When you work hard in practice, it translates into the game. Regardless, we’re going to work hard no matter who the opponent is.”