MCNSE
MISSST
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Melendez makes 2 late free throws, No. 25 Mississippi State beats McNeese State 66-63
TUPELO, Miss. (AP) RJ Melendez had a season-high 18 points and Josh Hubbard added 16 to lead No. 25 Mississippi State to a 66-63 win over McNeese State in a neutral-site game on Saturday.
Melendez made two free throws with nine seconds remaining in regulation to give Mississippi State (9-1) a 66-61 lead that it held on to.
Joe Charles led McNeese State (5-5) with 19 points while Sincere Parker finished with 16. Javohn Garcia and Brandon Murray each added 10 points for the Cowboys.
Both teams struggled offensively in the first half. McNeese State initially found more success and took a 24-16 lead after a Charles 3-pointer with 3:42 left in the half. But thanks to a pair of 3-pointers from both Hubbard and Claudell Harris, the Bulldogs closed the half on a 13-5 run and it was tied at 29 at halftime.
McNeese State: With the loss, the Cowboys now have more losses (5) this season than they had all of last season. McNeese State finished 30-4 a year ago in its first season under head coach Will Wade.
Mississippi State: For the second straight game, Mississippi State survived a lackluster showing. The Bulldogs barely escaped Prairie View A&M in a 91-84 win on Sunday.
The Bulldogs trailed 58-55 with 5:29 left in the second half but used a 7-0 run to grab the lead for good.
The Bulldogs outscored McNeese State 20-5 in points off turnovers.
McNeese State travels to Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday, Dec. 22, and Mississippi State faces Central Michigan on Tuesday in Jackson, Mississippi.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20:00 |  | Christian Shumate vs. Michael Nwoko (Omar Cooper gains possession) | ||
| 19:45 |  | Javohn Garcia misses two point jump shot | ||
| 19:43 | | Cameron Matthews defensive rebound | ||
| 19:24 | | Christian Shumate blocks RJ Melendez's two point jump shot | ||
| 19:22 | | Michael Nwoko offensive rebound | ||
| 19:18 | | Michael Nwoko misses two point layup | ||
| 19:16 | | RJ Melendez offensive rebound | ||
| 19:16 | | RJ Melendez misses two point layup | ||
| 19:14 | | Cowboys defensive rebound | ||
| 18:56 | | Brandon Murray misses three point jump shot | ||
| 18:54 | | Cameron Matthews defensive rebound | ||
| 18:44 | | Joe Charles blocks Riley Kugel's two point layup | ||
| 18:42 | | Javohn Garcia defensive rebound | ||
| 18:15 | | Josh Hubbard shooting foul (Joe Charles draws the foul) | ||
| 18:15 | | +1 | Joe Charles makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 1-0 |
| 18:15 | | Joe Charles misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 18:15 | | Riley Kugel defensive rebound | ||
| 17:53 | | Michael Nwoko turnover (lost ball) | ||
| 17:26 | | Christian Shumate turnover (lost ball) (Cameron Matthews steals) | ||
| 17:25 | | Christian Shumate personal foul (Cameron Matthews draws the foul) | ||
| 16:57 | | +2 | RJ Melendez makes two point jump shot (Riley Kugel assists) | 1-2 |
| 16:57 | | Joe Charles shooting foul (RJ Melendez draws the foul) | ||
| 16:57 | | +1 | RJ Melendez makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 1-3 |
| 16:43 | | +2 | Christian Shumate makes two point layup | 3-3 |
| 16:19 | | KeShawn Murphy misses two point dunk | ||
| 16:17 | | Brandon Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 15:51 | | Cameron Matthews shooting foul (Christian Shumate draws the foul) | ||
| 15:51 | | TV timeout | ||
| 15:51 | | Christian Shumate misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 15:51 | | Christian Shumate misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 15:51 | | Joe Charles offensive rebound | ||
| 15:34 | | Joe Charles misses three point jump shot | ||
| 15:32 | | KeShawn Murphy defensive rebound | ||
| 15:25 | | Josh Hubbard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 15:23 | | Brandon Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 15:03 | | Javohn Garcia turnover (lost ball) (RJ Melendez steals) | ||
| 14:57 | | +2 | RJ Melendez makes two point layup | 3-5 |
| 14:29 | | KeShawn Murphy blocks Christian Shumate's two point jump shot | ||
| 14:27 | | Christian Shumate offensive rebound | ||
| 14:26 | | Christian Shumate turnover (bad pass) (Josh Hubbard steals) | ||
| 14:20 | | RJ Melendez misses three point jump shot | ||
| 14:18 | | Javohn Garcia defensive rebound | ||
| 14:12 | | +3 | Christian Shumate makes three point jump shot (Omar Cooper assists) | 6-5 |
| 14:00 | | Riley Kugel misses two point layup | ||
| 13:58 | | KeShawn Murphy offensive rebound | ||
| 13:57 | | KeShawn Murphy misses two point layup | ||
| 13:55 | | Omar Cooper defensive rebound | ||
| 13:45 | | Quadir Copeland misses two point jump shot | ||
| 13:43 | | Shawn Jones Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 13:18 | | Shawn Jones Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 13:16 | | Quadir Copeland defensive rebound | ||
| 13:09 | | +2 | Sincere Parker makes two point layup | 8-5 |
| 12:34 | | Bulldogs turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 12:19 | | RJ Melendez personal foul (Quadir Copeland draws the foul) | ||
| 12:19 | | Cowboys turnover (5-second violation) | ||
| 12:06 | | Bryant Selebangue personal foul (Michael Nwoko draws the foul) | ||
| 11:56 | | Quadir Copeland personal foul (KeShawn Murphy draws the foul) | ||
| 11:56 | | TV timeout | ||
| 11:47 | | Claudell Harris Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:45 | | Joe Charles defensive rebound | ||
| 11:28 | | Quadir Copeland misses two point layup | ||
| 11:26 | | Cameron Matthews defensive rebound | ||
| 11:05 | | Cameron Matthews turnover (bad pass) | ||
| 10:57 | | DJ Richards Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:55 | | Claudell Harris Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 10:45 | | Bryant Selebangue personal foul (Michael Nwoko draws the foul) | ||
| 10:42 | | +2 | Michael Nwoko makes two point dunk (Josh Hubbard assists) | 8-7 |
| 10:42 | | Christian Shumate shooting foul (Michael Nwoko draws the foul) | ||
| 10:42 | | Michael Nwoko misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 10:42 | | Javohn Garcia defensive rebound | ||
| 10:20 | | +2 | Sincere Parker makes two point jump shot | 10-7 |
| 10:03 | | DJ Richards Jr. personal foul (Cameron Matthews draws the foul) | ||
| 10:03 | | +1 | Cameron Matthews makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 10-8 |
| 10:03 | | +1 | Cameron Matthews makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 10-9 |
| 9:48 | | +3 | Joe Charles makes three point jump shot (DJ Richards Jr. assists) | 13-9 |
| 9:28 | | Cameron Matthews turnover (bad pass) (Sincere Parker steals) | ||
| 9:21 | | Cameron Matthews shooting foul (Javohn Garcia draws the foul) | ||
| 9:21 | | Javohn Garcia misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 9:21 | | Javohn Garcia misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 9:21 | | Quadir Copeland offensive rebound | ||
| 9:20 | | RJ Melendez personal foul (Quadir Copeland draws the foul) | ||
| 9:15 | | DJ Richards Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:13 | | Claudell Harris Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 8:58 | | +3 | RJ Melendez makes three point jump shot (Claudell Harris Jr. assists) | 13-12 |
| 8:36 | | Javohn Garcia misses two point jump shot | ||
| 8:34 | | KeShawn Murphy defensive rebound | ||
| 8:28 | | Josh Hubbard misses two point jump shot | ||
| 8:26 | | Sincere Parker defensive rebound | ||
| 8:22 | | Josh Hubbard shooting foul (Javohn Garcia draws the foul) | ||
| 8:22 | | +1 | Javohn Garcia makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 14-12 |
| 8:22 | | +1 | Javohn Garcia makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 15-12 |
| 8:00 | | Quadir Copeland shooting foul (RJ Melendez draws the foul) | ||
| 8:00 | | TV timeout | ||
| 8:00 | | +1 | RJ Melendez makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 15-13 |
| 8:00 | | RJ Melendez misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 8:00 | | Quadir Copeland defensive rebound | ||
| 7:40 | | Quadir Copeland misses two point layup | ||
| 7:38 | | Shawn Jones Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 7:22 | | RJ Melendez misses two point jump shot | ||
| 7:20 | | Shawn Jones Jr. offensive rebound | ||
| 7:19 | | Brandon Murray blocks Shawn Jones Jr.'s two point layup | ||
| 7:17 | | Joe Charles defensive rebound | ||
| 6:52 | | DJ Richards Jr. misses two point jump shot | ||
| 6:50 | | KeShawn Murphy defensive rebound | ||
| 6:34 | | KeShawn Murphy turnover (lost ball) (Sincere Parker steals) | ||
| 6:30 | | Shawn Jones Jr. personal foul (Sincere Parker draws the foul) | ||
| 6:30 | | +1 | Sincere Parker makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 16-13 |
| 6:30 | | +1 | Sincere Parker makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 17-13 |
| 6:16 | | KeShawn Murphy misses two point jump shot | ||
| 6:14 | | Brandon Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 6:08 | | +2 | Joe Charles makes two point jump shot (Brandon Murray assists) | 19-13 |
| 5:49 | | Riley Kugel misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:47 | | KeShawn Murphy offensive rebound | ||
| 5:46 | | Javohn Garcia personal foul (KeShawn Murphy draws the foul) | ||
| 5:46 | | KeShawn Murphy misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 5:46 | | Christian Shumate defensive rebound | ||
| 5:39 | | Sincere Parker misses two point layup | ||
| 5:37 | | Riley Kugel defensive rebound | ||
| 5:34 | | Shawn Jones Jr. misses two point layup | ||
| 5:32 | | Javohn Garcia defensive rebound | ||
| 5:07 | | Javohn Garcia misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:05 | | KeShawn Murphy defensive rebound | ||
| 4:47 | | +2 | Riley Kugel makes two point layup (KeShawn Murphy assists) | 19-15 |
| 4:13 | | +2 | Brandon Murray makes two point layup | 21-15 |
| 4:06 | | Bulldogs 30 second timeout | ||
| 4:06 | | TV timeout | ||
| 3:56 | | DJ Richards Jr. personal foul (Michael Nwoko draws the foul) | ||
| 3:56 | | +1 | Michael Nwoko makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 21-16 |
| 3:56 | | Michael Nwoko misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 3:56 | | Bryant Selebangue defensive rebound | ||
| 3:43 | | +3 | Brandon Murray makes three point jump shot (Omar Cooper assists) | 24-16 |
| 3:17 | | +3 | Claudell Harris Jr. makes three point jump shot (Josh Hubbard assists) | 24-19 |
| 3:03 | | Omar Cooper offensive foul (Shawn Jones Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 3:03 | | Omar Cooper turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 2:47 | | +3 | Claudell Harris Jr. makes three point jump shot (Josh Hubbard assists) | 24-22 |
| 2:31 | | Omar Cooper turnover (bad pass) (Riley Kugel steals) | ||
| 2:24 | | Riley Kugel misses two point jump shot | ||
| 2:22 | | Bryant Selebangue defensive rebound | ||
| 2:08 | | Bryant Selebangue turnover (lost ball) (Michael Nwoko steals) | ||
| 2:07 | | Bryant Selebangue personal foul (Michael Nwoko draws the foul) | ||
| 2:07 | | +1 | Michael Nwoko makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 24-23 |
| 2:07 | | Michael Nwoko misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 2:07 | | Quadir Copeland defensive rebound | ||
| 1:44 | | +3 | Joe Charles makes three point jump shot (Javohn Garcia assists) | 27-23 |
| 1:33 | | Claudell Harris Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:31 | | Shawn Jones Jr. offensive rebound | ||
| 1:23 | | Joe Charles blocks Michael Nwoko's two point jump shot | ||
| 1:21 | | Bulldogs offensive rebound | ||
| 1:16 | | +3 | Josh Hubbard makes three point jump shot | 27-26 |
| 0:48 | | Javohn Garcia misses two point jump shot | ||
| 0:46 | | Brandon Murray offensive rebound | ||
| 0:46 | | Brandon Murray misses two point layup | ||
| 0:44 | | Michael Nwoko defensive rebound | ||
| 0:39 | | +3 | Josh Hubbard makes three point jump shot | 27-29 |
| 0:35 | | Cowboys 30 second timeout | ||
| 0:08 | | +2 | Javohn Garcia makes two point layup | 29-29 |
| 0:01 | | Claudell Harris Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Bulldogs offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |