Murphy and Nwoko lead Mississippi State to 90-57 rout of No. 18 Pitt

Mississippi State forward Cameron Matthews (4) pulls down an offensive rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — KeShawn Murphy scored a season-high 20 points and Mississippi State led from start to finish in thumping No. 18 Pittsburgh 90-57 on Wednesday night in the SEC/ACC Challenge.

Mississippi State (7-1) opened a 35-point advantage in the second half and was never threatened. Michael Nwoko had his first double-double of the season with a career-high 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Josh Hubbard scored 12 for the Bulldogs, while Claudell Harris and RJ Melendez each had 10 points.

Jaland Lowe led Pittsburgh (7-2) with 19 points and Brandin Cummings added 12 for the Panthers, who shot 31% and were outrebounded 49-27.

Takeaways

Pittsburgh: After making their season debut in the AP Top 25 poll this week, the Panthers were blown out from the start during their second loss in three games.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs bounced back from their first loss of the season, 87-77 to Butler last Friday in the Arizona Tipoff championship game.

Key moment

Mississippi State jumped on Pitt right away and built a 25-11 cushion on a 3-pointer by Hubbard. The Bulldogs led by 23 in the first half and were up 47-25 at the break.

Key stats

Pitt went 3 of 11 from 3-point range in the first half. The Panthers took only two free throws and committed eight turnovers before halftime.

Mississippi State shot 54% in the opening period and went 4 of 13 beyond the arc. The Bulldogs outscored the Panthers 11-0 in points off turnovers. MSU also controlled the glass, 27-14, including 10 offensive boards.

Up next

Pittsburgh: Plays at Virginia Tech on Saturday to open ACC play.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs host Prairie View A&M on Sunday.

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