STARKVILLE, Miss.
— In the season opener for both squads, Mississippi State triumphed over West Georgia with a commanding score of 95-60, highlighted by standout performances from Josh Hubbard, who netted 26 points, and Claudell Harris Jr., who contributed 20 points on Monday night.

Hubbard, an All-Southeastern Conference second-team selection, along with Harris, each connected on six of the Bulldogs’ 14 successful 3-point attempts. The team showcased an impressive shooting performance, hitting 36 of 65 field goal attempts, amounting to a 55% shooting efficiency, while also converting 47% of their shots from beyond the arc. Additionally, Mississippi State capitalized on West Georgia’s mistakes, scoring 31 points off 20 turnovers committed by their opponents.

The game kicked off with Kanye Clary stealing the ball and assisting KeShawn Murphy for a dunk only 13 seconds into the first half, marking the first points of the night and setting the tone for the Mississippi State dominance. Hubbard then played a pivotal role in a 12-2 run, sinking two 3-pointers and culminating the stretch with a dunk to push the score to 14-4.

Tamaury Releford led a brief comeback for West Georgia, scoring the final nine points in a 12-0 run that narrowed the gap to 24-21 approximately five minutes later. However, Harris responded with four 3-pointers, the last of which came just three seconds before halftime, allowing the Bulldogs to enter the break with an impressive 11-point lead.

The second half opened with Shelton Williams-Dryden scoring in the paint to cut the deficit to 40-31. But Hubbard quickly countered with a 3-pointer, and Mississippi State maintained a lead in double digits for the remainder of the game.

For West Georgia, Releford emerged as the leading scorer with 16 points, while Kolten Griffin added 13 points to the tally. Williams-Dryden also contributed significantly, securing 10 rebounds alongside nine points during the match.

Harris, who joined Mississippi State after transferring from Boston College following two seasons at Charleston Southern, entered the match with an impressive career total of 1,318 points.