Mississippi State University walked away victorious 77-64 over the Detroit Mercy Titans on Wednesday night. The Titans consistently made contested baskets over and over again, keeping them in the game until a late run by MSU to close the door, with big time baskets from junior guard Iverson Molinar and sophomore NC State guard transfer Shakeel Moore.
In his third game as a Bulldog, Moore scored 19 points, increasing his point total in the third straight game. This also matched his career high in points. After his last two performances, Moore seems to be fitting into the rotation nicely.
Moore was asked about all the open shots he got on the night, hitting 4-5 from beyond the arc, and he attributed it to his teammates.
“A lot of chemistry between the guys,” said Moore after the game to reporters, “We do a lot of work outside of practice.”
Moore was spotted after the postgame press conference putting up shots along with freshman guard Cam Carter and transfer guard Rocket Watts, who made his MSU debut on the night. The guard rotation has looked extremely skilled in the team’s first three games, and can be expected to improve as the season progresses.
Iverson Molinar has lived up to the hype of being selected to the preseason all-SEC team so far, as he poured in six assists to go with his impressive scoring contribution. Bulldog head coach Ben Howland spoke on Molinar and his efforts after the win.
“We’re asking a lot out of him,” Howland said. “Not only is he our leader on offense but he’s tasked with guarding the best player at the guard position on defense.”
Former MSU forward Prince Oduro put on a show for Detroit in his “revenge game” against MSU, scoring 14 points on 7-7 shooting. The Titans as a whole played well on both sides of the floor, giving the Bulldogs, as Coach Howland put it, “a test we needed”.
MSU held Detroit to only two fast-break points, and Coach Howland said he was very excited about that.
“Transition defense is everything for us,” Howland said.
The Bulldogs forced 15 turnovers resulting in 18 points off steals. MSU has so far shown that they can consistently beat teams in these categories, a good sign for when it comes time for SEC play.
MSU has one more home game before traveling to the Bahamas for a tournament over Thanksgiving. Tip-off is at 2:00 p.m. Central Time at the Hump on Sunday, as MSU hosts Morehead State University, airing on SEC Network+.
