Mississippi State dominates inside, rolls past No. 5 Tennessee

Field Level Media|published: Fri 15th March, 15:37 2024

Mississippi State Bulldogs forward Tolu Smith (1) drives against Tennessee Volunteers forward Jonas Aidoo (0) during their SEC Men's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, March 15, 2024. credits: Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Cameron Matthews and Josh Hubbard each scored 18 points Friday as Mississippi State never trailed en route to a 73-56 upset victory over No. 5 Tennessee in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Nashville, Tenn.

Matthews made all seven of his shots from the field and added eight rebounds for the Bulldogs (21-12), the tournament's ninth seed who were 55.3 percent from the field and moved closer to securing an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament next week.

Mississippi State, which will play Auburn or South Carolina in the first semifinal on Saturday, hammered the Volunteers inside. The Bulldogs had a 42-14 advantage on points in the paint and made 64.7 percent of its 2-point shots.

Zakai Zeigler scored a game-high 20 points for top-seeded Tennessee (24-8). SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht was held to 14 points on 4-of-16 shooting from the field, while Jahmai Mashack added 10 points. The Volunteers endured a miserable day offensively, hitting only 19 of 62 shots from the field (30.6 percent) and 8 of 33 (24.2 percent) from distance.

The Bulldogs led by as many as 23 points in the second half and never led by less than 12 over the final 20 minutes. When Tennessee drew within 60-48 with 5:03 left, D.J. Jeffries hit a 3-pointer and a layup to seal the Bulldogs' second win over the Volunteers this season.

Mississippi State wasted little time setting the tone for the day. Tolu Smith delivered the team's first four points on layups and Hubbard converted a 3-point play to establish a 15-4 lead at the 12:38 mark.

The Bulldogs controlled the Tennessee offense and kept Knecht in check, while luring the Volunteers into lower-percentage shots from distance. The plan paid off in the form of Tennessee's 2-of-18 shooting from the arc in the half (11.1 percent).

Mississippi State had a 28-6 advantage on points in the paint during the first half. The half's end was fitting as Shawn Jones grabbed the rebound of a Dashawn Davis miss and stuck it home with one second left, giving the Bulldogs a 38-19 cushion.

—Field Level Media

Latest