Mississippi State uses second-half surge to roll past Central Michigan

Claudell Harris Jr. scored a game-high 19 points as Mississippi State used a big second half to pull away from Central Michigan 83-59 on Tuesday in Jackson, Miss.

Michael Nwoko tallied 18 points and had seven rebounds and Josh Hubbard chipped in 11 points for Mississippi State (10-1).

Jakobi Heady led Central Michigan (5-5) with 18 points and Anthony Pritchard scored 15 points.

The Bulldogs opened the second half on a 14-0 run and took control of a tight game. Mississippi State forced four turnovers during the decisive rally. Nwoko started the run with a jumper and Keshawn Murphy capped it with a layup as the Bulldogs' lead stretched to 46-25.

The Chippewas never drew closer than 17 points the rest of the way.

Central Michigan jumped out to a 7-1 lead as Mississippi State committed two turnovers and needed just over three minutes to make its first basket.

The Bulldogs' first make came on a Hubbard 3-pointer, which Harris followed with two treys before Shawn Jones Jr. added a layup to cap an 11-0 run.

Heady sank a runner in the lane to stop the Mississippi State rally, but the Bulldogs held the Chippewas without a field goal for over three minutes and extended their lead to 22-10 midway through the first half.

The visitors fought to stay in the game, closing within 24-17 on a banked 3-pointer by Heady, but Harris answered with a pair of treys 24 seconds apart to put Mississippi State up 30-17.

Central Michigan mounted another flurry, this one an eight-point run that Kyler Vanderjagt started with a 3-pointer. Hunter Harding's floater and Cayden Vasko's trey drew the Chippewas closer at 30-25.

Mississippi State led 32-25 at halftime following Murphy's layup.

After he limped off the court in the first half, RJ Melendez turned in three straight highlight plays for the Bulldogs in the second half.

He first converted a steal into a two-handed jam as the Bulldogs' lead grew to 48-29. Another steal led to a fastbreak alley-oop to Martavious Russell, and a third theft gave way to Melendez's tomahawk dunk that gave Mississippi State a 52-29 lead with 12:31 remaining.

Melendez finished with six points, four rebounds and three steals.

--Field Level Media