Josh Hubbard scored 21 points as No. 17 Mississippi State smothered visiting South Carolina in an 85-50 rout in both teams’ SEC opener Saturday in Starkville, Mis.
Hubbard made 7 of 13 shots after shooting 31.3 percent (16-of-51) in his previous four games. He also sank five 3s after shooting 1-of-9 from behind the arc Monday against Bethune-Cookman.
Claudell Harris added 17 and nine rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting as the Bulldogs shot 56.5 percent and scored 52 points in the paint. Riley Kugel and Keshawn Murphy chipped in 12 points apiece while Murphy also had four of the Bulldogs’ 10 blocked shots.
Zachary Davis scored 22 but leading scorer Collin Murray-Boyles shot 2 of 9, was held to five and committed six of South Carolina’s 14 turnovers. The Gamecocks shot a dreadful 29.1 percent and were 2-of-19 from 3-point range.
The Bulldogs (13-1, 1-0) won their seventh straight and earned their fourth straight double-double digit win by seizing control early and never letting up against an opponent who beat them by four on their homecourt last March.
South Carolina (10-4, 0-1) saw its seven-game winning streak snapped and produced its worst offensive showing of the season heading into home games with fifth-ranked Alabama and No. 2 Auburn.
As the Gamecocks missed seven of their first eight shots, the Bulldogs took their first double-digit lead when Kugel made two free throws with 13:07 remaining. A layup by Harris capped a 13-0 run for a 15-2 lead on the next possession, and the Bulldogs opened a 24-6 edge on a three-point play by Hubbard with 8:20 left. The hosts took their first 20-point lead on a hoop by Murphy less than a minute later.
The Bulldogs took a 30-11 lead on a basket by Murphy with 5:08 left and hit five layups in the final 2:09 for a 43-18 edge by halftime. Mississippi State scored the first five points of the second half to take a 30-point lead on a 3 by Harris a little over two minutes in, took a 36-point lead on Hubbard’s final triple with 6:21 remaining and emptied its bench a few minutes later.
