STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Josh Hubbard scored 26 points and Claudell Harris Jr. added 20 Monday night to help Mississippi State beat West Georgia 95-60 in the season opener for both teams.
Hubbard — and All-Southeastern Conference second-team selection — and Harris each hit six of Mississippi State's 14 3-pointers. The Bulldogs made 36 of 65 (55%) from the field, shot 47% from behind the arc and scored 31 points off 20 West Georgia turnovers.
Kanye Clary stole a pass and then fed KeShawn Murphy for a dunk 13 seconds into the game that made it 2-0 and Mississippi State never trailed. Hubbard hit two 3-pointers in a 12-2 run capped when he threw down a dunk that made it 14-4.
Tamaury Releford scored the final nine points in a 12-0 spurt that trimmed West Georgia's deficit to 24-21 about five minutes later but Harris made four 3-pointers — the last coming with 3 seconds left — to give the Bulldogs an 11-point halftime lead.
Shelton Williams-Dryden scored in the paint to open the scoring in the second half and make it 40-31 but Hubbard answered with a 3-pointer with and Mississippi State led by double figures the rest of the way.
Releford led the Wolves with 16 points and Kolten Griffin scored 13. Williams-Dryden finished with 10 rebounds to go with nine points.
Harris, who transferred from Boston College after two seasons at Charleston Southern, came into this season with 1,318 career points.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
