Mississippi State men’s basketball falls to No. 13 Texas Tech 76-50 in Big 12/SEC Challenge

LUBBOCK, Texas — The Mississippi State men’s basketball team had a season-high 22 turnovers while scoring its fewest points of the season en route to a 76-50 loss to No. 13 Texas Tech on Saturday at United Supermarkets Arena in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

The Bulldogs (13-7, 4-3 SEC) were led by junior guard Iverson Molinar with 12 points. Molinar’s season average is 18.4 points. Junior forward D.J. Jeffries and junior guard Rocket Watts added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

MSU shot 19-for-48 (39.6%), including 4-for-16 (25%) from 3-point range.

The Red Raiders (16-5, 5-3 Big 12) scored 24 points off turnovers and were led by senior guard Adonis Arms with 16 points and seven assists, both season highs for Arms. Senior forward Kevin Obanor added 13 points, while junior guard Mylik Wilson and senior forward Bryson Williams had 12 and 10 points.

Texas Tech shot 29-for-47 (61.7%) for the game and 14-for-20 (70%) in the second half. The Red Raiders shot 5-for-13 (38.5%) on 3s.

Molinar opened the game with a jumper to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead, but a 3-pointer by Arms gave the Red Raiders a 6-4 lead with 17:07 left in the first half. The Bulldogs never led from there on out.

MSU used a 6-0 spurt to tie things at 10-10, but the Red Raiders made eight of their last 10 shots for a 37-22 halftime lead.

In the second half. a 3-pointer by Obanor gave Texas Tech a 42-22 lead with 18:29 to play to give the Red Raiders their first 20-point lead of the game. The Red Raiders kept things rolling, leading by as many as 29 at 72-43 with 2:41 to play before going on to win 76-50.

The Bulldogs will return to action Tuesday when they host South Carolina at 6 p.m. CT on ESPNU.