Smith's double-double helps Mississippi St. beat Lamar 75-60
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- — Tolu Smith scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Mississippi State pulled away early in the second half for a 75-60 victory over Lamar on Thursday night.
It was Smith's 10th career double-double for Mississippi State (6-1), which returned home after an 82-71 overtime win against Richmond at the Bahamas Championship in the third-place game. The Bulldogs host undefeated Minnesota (6-0) on Sunday.
Iverson Molinar scored 17 points to lead the Bulldogs. Rocket Watts added 15 points and Garrison Brooks had 10. Molinar and Watts each had three of Bulldogs' seven 3-pointers.
Watts made consecutive 3-pointers to spark a 13-2 run and the Bulldogs led 62-43 with about seven minutes left.
C.J. Roberts scored 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting to lead Lamar (1-7). Davion Buster made three 3-pointers and finished with 17 points.
The Bulldogs shot 52% (13 of 25) in the first half and built a 38-30 halftime advantage. Lamar pulled to 38-32 on a Roberts jumper to open the second but didn't get closer.
It was the first meeting between the teams.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Terry Wymer
- Brent Hampton
- Owen Shortt
2024-25 Southland Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| McNeese | 10-1 | - | 16-6 |
| Lamar | 8-3 | 2 | 13-9 |
| Texas A&M-Corpus Christi | 7-4 | 3 | 14-9 |
| Nicholls | 7-4 | 3 | 13-9 |
| SE Louisiana | 7-4 | 3 | 13-9 |
| Houston Christian | 7-4 | 3 | 10-12 |
| Northwestern State | 6-5 | 4 | 9-12 |
| UT Rio Grande Valley | 5-6 | 5 | 13-9 |
| Incarnate Word | 4-7 | 6 | 11-11 |
| Stephen F. Austin | 2-9 | 8 | 9-13 |
| New Orleans | 2-9 | 8 | 4-18 |
| East Texas A&M | 1-10 | 9 | 3-19 |
2024-25 Southeastern Conference Standings
Men's College Basketball News