Mississippi State beats Akron 73-54 in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA -- — Tolu Smith had 26 points and eight rebounds, D.J. Jeffries added 15 points and Mississippi State beat Akron 73-54 on Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center, home of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.
Smith was 11 of 13 from the field and 4 of 6 at the stripe, nearly missing his career high of 27 points. Shakeel Moore had six points, six rebounds and four steals for Mississippi State (2-0), which was participating in the Barstool Invitational.
Mississippi State led 35-27 at halftime. Akron took a 39-38 lead after opening the second half on a 12-3 run, but the Bulldogs scored 21 of the next 26 points to go ahead by double-digits for good at 59-44.
Xavier Castaneda had 20 points and six assists for Akron (1-1). Enrique Freeman, the reigning MAC defensive play of the year, added nine points.
On Monday, Mississippi State overcame an early 12-point deficit en route to a 63-44 season-opening rout of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, a NCAA Tournament team from a season ago. The Bulldogs face Arkansas-Pine Bluff for a Sunday
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Alfred Smith
- Tim Stewart
- Brad Clauss
2023-24 Southeastern Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Tennessee | 14-4 | - | 27-9 |
Auburn | 13-5 | 1 | 27-8 |
South Carolina | 13-5 | 1 | 26-8 |
Kentucky | 13-5 | 1 | 23-10 |
Alabama | 13-5 | 1 | 25-12 |
Florida | 11-7 | 3 | 24-12 |
Texas A&M | 9-9 | 5 | 21-15 |
LSU | 9-9 | 5 | 17-16 |
Mississippi State | 8-10 | 6 | 21-14 |
Ole Miss | 7-11 | 7 | 20-12 |
Georgia | 6-12 | 8 | 20-17 |
Arkansas | 6-12 | 8 | 16-17 |
Vanderbilt | 4-14 | 10 | 9-23 |
Missouri | 0-18 | 14 | 8-24 |
2023-24 Mid-American Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Toledo | 14-4 | - | 20-12 |
Akron | 13-5 | 1 | 24-11 |
Ohio | 13-5 | 1 | 20-13 |
Central Michigan | 12-6 | 2 | 18-14 |
Bowling Green | 10-8 | 4 | 20-14 |
Miami (OH) | 9-9 | 5 | 15-17 |
Western Michigan | 9-9 | 5 | 12-20 |
Kent State | 8-10 | 6 | 17-17 |
Ball State | 7-11 | 7 | 15-16 |
Eastern Michigan | 6-12 | 8 | 13-18 |
Northern Illinois | 5-13 | 9 | 11-20 |
Buffalo | 2-16 | 12 | 4-27 |