Bulldogs Handle Kent State in Home Win

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Sophomore forward Reggie Perry scored 26 points in Mississippi State’s 96-68 win over Kent State Monday night at Humphrey Coliseum.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 9-3, while the Golden Flashes fall to 10-3.

The Golden Flashes jumped out to a 9-1 lead. The Bulldogs cut the deficit to two points at 9-7, but Kent State extended its lead back to eight points at 17-9 with 13:38 to play in the first half.

State trailed much of the first half, but a 16-4 run gave the Bulldogs a 43-37 lead with 1:35 to play in the half when sophomore guard Robert Woodard II made a layup and knocked down a free throw to convert a three-point play.

MSU went into the halftime break leading 45-39.

The Bulldogs used an 11-2 run early in the second half to take a 59-47 lead with 12:38 to play. State kept things rolling, and extended its lead to 27 points at 83-56 with 6:13 to go in the game.

MSU went on to win 96-68.

Perry finished with a career-high 26 points, which included 10-of-14 from the charity stripe, and a career-high 17 rebounds. This is his sixth double-double pf the season.

Freshman guard Iverson Molinar scored 16 points on 5-of-5 shooting and dished out four assists. Freshman guard D.J. Stewart Jr. chipped in with 12 points, Woodard II added 11 points and junior guard Nick Weatherspoon put up 10 points and four assists.

The Bulldogs shot 31-of-56 (55.4%) from the field and held Kent State to 25-of-61 (41.0%). MSU held a 40-28 rebounding advantage in the contest.

The Bulldogs will be back in action Saturday when they host Auburn in their first Southeastern Conference action of the season.