STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Riley Kugel scored 22 points and Josh Hubbard added 16 to lead No. 17 Mississippi State to an 87-73 victory over Bethune-Cookman on Monday night.

Mississippi State (12-1) struggled to put away Bethune-Cookman (3-10) until reeling off a 16-4 run midway through the second half.

Kugel was 10 of 13 from the floor and had four rebounds before fouling out late. RJ Melendez and Claudell Harris each had 12 points for the Bulldogs, with Harris scoring all his points in the second half.

Trey Thomas and Brayon Freeman each scored 21 points for Bethune-Cookman, and Reggie Ward Jr. added 14. Thomas was ejected in the second half after getting called for his second technical foul.

Mississippi State jumped out to a 20-9 advantage but couldn’t shake the Wildcats in the first half. The margin was trimmed to 27-26 before the Bulldogs took a 52-45 halftime lead.

No. 17 Mississippi State pulls away for 87-73 victory over Bethune-Cookman | iNFOnews.ca — Mississippi State forward Cameron Matthews dribbles upcourt during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Bethune-Cookman, Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Bethune-Cookman shot 58% in the opening half and went 5 of 8 from 3-point range. The Wildcats were also 10 of 10 at the foul line.

Mississippi State shot 55% in the first half, including 5 of 13 beyond the arc. The Bulldogs were 11 of 12 at the foul line.

Takeaways

Bethune-Cookman: The Wildcats dropped six of their last seven games to finish up the nonconference schedule, which featured six games against Power Five opponents.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs completed nonconference play with a 12-1 record, which featured road wins at Memphis and SMU along with a dominant home win over Pittsburgh. It marks the most nonconference wins for coach Chris Jans in his Mississippi State tenure.