NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Josh Hubbard scored 14 of his 24 points in the second half when he helped Mississippi State pull away late and beat LSU 70-60 on Thursday in the second round of the SEC Tournament.
The ninth-seeded Bulldogs (20-12) snapped a four-game losing streak that ended their regular season and will face top seed and No. 5-ranked Tennessee in Friday’s quarterfinals. Mississippi State beat the Volunteers 77-72 on Jan. 10.
Hubbard was only 6-of-16 shooting but made 9 of 10 free throws. Dashawn Davis added 12 points. Tolu Smith grabbed 13 rebounds and D.J. Jeffries had 11 boards as the Bulldogs outrebounded the Tigers 24-12 in the second half, reversing the first-half totals.
Trae Hannibal scored 18 points and Hunter Dean 10 for the Tigers (17-15).
The Bulldogs rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit, outscoring LSU 12-5 to tie the game on a Smith dunk and grabbed the lead for good with 12 minutes left on two Hubbard free throws. They had a nine-point advantage after a Shakeel Moore 3-pointer with eight minutes remaining. They shot 51% in the second half when they outscored the Tigers by 17.
Hannibal led a LSU comeback and got the Tigers within a point but Hubbard hit a pair of 3-pointers and added another basket over the next four minutes and the Bulldogs went out in front by 10 with a minute left.
The teams were tied midway through the first half after a Tyrell Ward 3-pointer. Jordan Wright and Ward then hit consecutive 3s and LSU went into the break ahead 29-22 after the Bulldogs failed to get a field goal over the final 7:42. The Bulldogs shot just 29% and made only 1 of 10 from the arc before making 5 of 11 in the second half.
