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RJ Melendez scored 18 points, Josh Hubbard added 16 and No. 25 Mississippi State held off McNeese 66-63 on Saturday in Tupelo, Miss.

The Bulldogs (9-1) overcame a sluggish first half offensively and outscored McNeese 37-34 in the second half.

Joe Charles scored 19, Sincere Parker had 16 and Javohn Garcia and Brandon Murray added 10 each for the Cowboys (5-5).

The score was tied twice early in the second half before Hubbard scored four straight points to help the Bulldogs take a 39-34 lead. The Cowboys scored six straight points to take a one-point lead before the lead changed hands three times and the score was tied at 43.

Charles scored five points and Murray made a layup to give McNeese a 50-43 lead. Tied at 55, Parker’s 3-pointer put the Cowboys back on top.

Melendez scored three points during a 9-0 run that gave the Bulldogs a 64-58 lead. Parker made a 3-pointer to cut the lead in half with 1:58 remaining an McNeese had two chances to tie, but Garcia missed a jumper and Christian Shumate missed a 3-pointer. Melendez made two free throws with nine seconds left before Murray’s basket beat the buzzer.

Both teams started slowly on offense, and neither made a field goal during the first three minutes.

The Bulldogs’ first field goal came when Melendez converted a three-point play and he added another basket for a 5-3 lead after five minutes.

MSU made just one field goal during the next six minutes and Parker had consecutive baskets to help the Cowboys take a 13-9 lead. Melendez’s 3-pointer ended the Bulldogs’ field-goal drought, but Murray made a basket and a 3-pointer to give McNeese a 24-16 lead.

Claudell Harris Jr. made two 3-pointers to help MSU get within a point before Charles answered with a 3-pointer for the Cowboys. Hubbard made consecutive 3-pointers for his only points of the half to give the Bulldogs a brief lead before Garcia’s layup tied the score at 29 at halftime.

–Field Level Media