By Elijah Klepczyk
Emmerich Newspapers
Mississippi State men's basketball is off to a 2-0 start as it cruised past Northwestern State 82-44 last night.
The Bulldogs defense was the star of the show against the Demons, as State posted seven blocks and forced 12 turnovers throughout the contest.
Florida State transfer Thomas Bassong led the defensive charge, accounting for four blocks – acquiring three of them in the first three minutes of the game. Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans said that Bassong "certainly led the way” defensively, also referring to the sophomore as “the dog of the defense.”
Bassong also led the team in rebounds with eight, keeping many possessions alive for State and battling the undersized Northwestern players. “He’s got to be that guy for us,” Jans said of Bassong's big night, emphasizing that his energy will be important to the team this year.
Josh Hubbard led the Bulldogs offense, leading all players with 15 points. Hubbard went three-for-six on three point attempts, and led the team in playing time with 24 minutes on the court.
True sophomore King Grace also came off the bench and scored 12 for MSU against the Demons. This is the second game in a row that Grace has scored in double figures, and is seeming to become a dangerous weapon for the Bulldogs.
Jans said “the game has slowed down” for Grace, and that as the young player develops he will become an important piece to State’s rotation.
Grace did have a scare in this game after taking some contact to the knee and limping off the court with some help early in the second half. Grace did return to the game however, and put a cherry on top of another good night with a one-handed jam with about three minutes left in the game.
State never trailed against Northwestern, and built a 10-0 lead to start the game which it rode all the way to the finish line. Jans said this was due to a great defensive mindset that the team “came out of the gate” with – and was a promising improvement from their last game against Tennessee Tech where the Bulldogs gave up 24 points in seven minutes.
Even with the big win, Jans still saw room for improvement – most notably in the play of his post players. Jans said he saw improvement in their aggression, but wanted to see them finish around the rim better, and contribute to the offense more.
State will be back in Humphrey Coliseum on Monday to host Jackson State for a 6:30 p.m. tip-off on SEC Network Plus. The Tigers are 1-1 on the season, and are coming off an upset win over the Tulane Green Wave.
After that, the Bulldogs will face their toughest challenge of the season as they are slated to face off against Xavier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia for the Greenbrier Tip-Off on Friday, Nov. 13.
The Bulldogs and the Musketeers have not squared off since 2004, and the matchup will be the only men's game for the opening weekend of the invitational.
Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 8 p.m. central, and will be broadcast on Fox Sports One (FS1).
