Josh Hubbard became the fourth 2,000-point scorer in Mississippi State history as he led the Bulldogs to an easy 98-57 victory over Jackson State on Monday in Starkville, Miss.
Hubbard sank a short jumper in the paint shortly after halftime to hit the mark.
Hubbard was one of six Bulldogs in double figures as he notched 14 points while shooting 3-for-6 from 3-point territory. He reached 2,001 career points and is closing in on all-time Mississippi State scoring leader Jeff Malone’s total of 2,142 points.
Reserve Tristan Reed added 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds for Mississippi State (3-0). RJ Johnson and Tajuan Simpkins each added 12 points, while Kamani Hamilton contributed 11 points and Thomas Bassong added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Jackson State (1-2) got a strong performance from Mike Williams, who scored 23 points while shooting 6-for-8 from 3-point range. He contributed 18 points and five treys in the first half. No other player topped seven points for the Tigers.
The Tigers committed 17 turnovers that led to 21 points and were outrebounded 49-21.
Mississippi State trailed twice in the first 10 minutes, first when Williams connected on a 3-pointer with 12:59 to play in the opening half to give Jackson State a 14-13 lead.
However, a 17-0 run helped the Bulldogs build a 51-29 advantage by halftime thanks to outshooting the Tigers 64.5% to 35.5%. Mississippi State hit 58.2% from the floor for the game, including 39.1% from 3-point range (9-for-23) and had 21 assists in the game. The Bulldogs had a 58-20 edge on points in the paint.
Jackson State wound up at 35% from the field, 33.3% (10 of 30) from long distance.