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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Thursday marked the fourth time since 2009 that Mississippi State Basketball made an appearance in the NCAA tournament. It also marked the fourth time in as many trips that the Bulldogs returned to Starkville after just one. march madness contest.
The No. 8 seed Bulldogs (21-14) were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at the Spectrum Center, losing 69-51 against No. 9 seed Michigan State (20-14). .
Mississippi State fell behind by 12 points early. Although the Bulldogs cut the deficit to five at the end of the first half, they struggled to keep it within 10 throughout the second half.
On the other end, Mississippi State couldn’t string together stops despite Michigan State turning it over 16 times. The Spartans shot 50% from the field and three players scored in double figures.
Tolu Smith returns to fight for the state of Mississippi
Mississippi State forward Tolu Smith scored 21 points in a Feb. 27 loss to Kentucky. Since then, he hasn’t looked like the All-SEC honors he received: averaging 10.3 points in six games leading up to the NCAA Tournament.
FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA tournament standings, scores, schedules, teams and more.
Thursday was much the same, with Smith only scoring two points in the first half and finishing with nine points. He went 3-5 from the field.
Josh Hubbard and Tyson Walker give birth early in March Madness
freshman guard Josh Hubbard has consistently delivered big moments for Mississippi State this season. His first taste of March Madness is no different.
Hubbard was the only consistent source of offense for the Bulldogs in the first half, scoring 13 of 15 points. He missed his first two field goals, but made five of his last seven before halftime.
Hubbard’s early efforts were matched by Michigan State guard Tyson Walker. The graduate guard scored 10 of his 19 points in the first period, including six points during an early 10-0 run for the Spartans.
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Mississippi State falls behind early with Cameron Matthews sidelined
Michigan State built a lead of as many as 12 in the first half, and it came with the Mississippi State forward. Cameron Matthews sidelined due to foul problems.
Matthews committed an offensive foul less than two minutes into the contest. Shortly after he got the second and was substituted before the first media timeout. When he returned to the court with 10:21 left, Michigan State had gone on a 15-4 run.
Matthews, who was a plus-2 in the first half, helped cut the deficit to seven before halftime.
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State Beat Writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on platform X, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.
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