Southern University broke its streak of five consecutive losses in dramatic fashion, using late heroics to defeat no. 21 Mississippi State 60-59 on Sunday afternoon at Humphrey Coliseum.
The Jags were down by three at the break and trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half, but they were still able to pull off the comeback. Southern held MSU scoreless in the final four minutes.
It was arguably the biggest win for SWAC and HBCU basketball since Texas Southern knocked off then no. 20 Florida in December 2021.
Tai’Reon Joseph scored 27 points to lead the way for Southern University. That performance included an impressive nine points in the second half to ignite the team down the stretch. As a team, Southern shot 11-of-29 from the field in the second half, scoring 1.03 points per possession on average.
Josh Hubbard led the way for Mississippi State, scoring 14 points. As a team, the Bulldogs shot 40% (21-of-52) from the field and 27% (7-of-26) from distance. A major factor in the loss was their subpar offensive efficiency. They scored just 0.91 points per possession on 49% true shooting.
- Southern scored a season-low six points off the bench
- Mississippi State recorded a season-low one block
- The game had 13 lead changes and three ties
Each team has its next game on Dec. 9. Southern takes on Southeastern La. at the F.G. Clark Activity Center, where the Jags will look to continue their solid play in their return home. Meanwhile, Mississippi St. will try to rebound when they meet winning-streak riding Tulane at State Farm Arena.
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