Josh Hubbard had 25 points and five assists on Wednesday, helping visiting Mississippi State post an 85-73 victory over Georgia Tech in the ACC/SEC Challenge in Atlanta.
Jayden Epps added 14 points for the Bulldogs (4-4), who entered as the SEC’s only team with a losing record. Brandon Walker had 11 points and seven rebounds, Jamarion Davis-Fleming chipped in 11 points and reserve Shawn Jones Jr. scored nine points in the win.
Georgia Tech (5-4) was paced by Kowacie Reeves Jr.’s 23 points and nine rebounds, while the fifth-year senior made seven 3-pointers in the loss. Baye Ndongo, Akai Fleming and Mouhamed Sylla each posted 12 points apiece. In the Yellow Jackets’ third straight defeat, they shot just 33.8% (26-for-77) from the field.
After leading by nine at halftime, Mississippi State pushed the margin to 16 on Quincy Ballard’s dunk, Epps’ three-point play and Hubbard’s mid-range jumper with 18:39 left.
Reeves hit three 3-pointers across a three-minute stretch, helping Georgia Tech pull within seven at the 14:46 mark.
Hubbard connected on 3-pointers on consecutive Bulldogs’ possessions, giving Mississippi State a 61-51 edge midway through the second half. The run continued as Ballard’s putback layup and Ja’Borri McGhee’s basket extended the lead to 68-52 with 7:27 remaining.
Reeves’ seventh triple sliced the Yellow Jackets’ deficit to 11, but Hubbard’s jumper and Davis-Fleming’s layup stamped a game-sealing 10-4 spurt, giving Mississippi State a 17-point lead with 2:18 left.
Reeves drilled a pair of 3-pointers to begin Georgia Tech’s game-opening 9-2 run, before Epps and Walker’s layups knotted the score at nine.
After Lamar Washington’s jumper tied the game at 13, Davis-Fleming’s dunk and McGhee’s layup started a string of six straight points to give the Bulldogs a 19-13 edge.
Walker’s 3-pointer with 5:49 left in the opening half gave Mississippi State its first double-digit lead at 29-18.
Hubbard’s driving runner extended the lead to 12, before Ndongo’s triple trimmed Georgia Tech’s halftime-deficit to 37-28. Reeves led all scorers with 11 first-half points, while Walker’s eight paced the visitors.
