Hubbard scores 23, Matthews hits big free throws and Mississippi State tops Utah 78-73

By The Associated Press

SOUTHAVEN, Miss. (AP) — Josh Hubbard scored 23 points, Cameron Matthews made several key free throws down the stretch and Mississippi State rallied in the second half to defeat Utah 78-73 in the Mid-South Showdown. KeShawn Murphy scored 18 points, Matthews 12, with 8 of 10 from the line, and Ryan Kugel scored 12 for the Bulldogs. Murphy had 14 rebounds. Matthews made two free throws on back-to-back possessions to put the Bulldogs up 75-71 in the final minute. After a Utes miss, their defensive pressure forced Mississippi State to call timeout twice. Utah then fouled Matthews again. He made one of two, then Kugel got an offensive rebound and made a pair of free throws to put the game out of reach.