Mississippi State men’s basketball drops OT thriller in regular season finale

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- Mississippi State men’s basketball lost a close battle with South Carolina 93-89.

The Bulldogs trailed by nine early in the first half and were chasing the Gamecocks most of the game. MSU led for only 17 seconds in the game with a 40-38 lead early in the second half.

Josh Hubbard tied the game at 70 with a school record 98th three-pointer on the season, he ended the game with a team-high 28 points.

South Carolina had one final possession in regulation with the game tied at 75. B.J Mack drove into the paint and drew a foul from Tolu Smith. Mack knocked down both free throws to take a 77-75 lead with 4.2 seconds remaining.

Mississippi State had one last chance to tie or win, Dashawn Davis drew a foul a drained two clutch free throws to send the game to overtime.

In the extra period the Gamecocks nailed 80% of their field goals and made all six attempts from the charity stripe.

Josh Hubbard was fouled on a three-point attempt with less than five seconds to play. He had three shots from the line to tie the game, he made the first two but missed the third long and that would be the difference.

Mississippi State ends the season on a four game losing streak. Next up for the dogs is the SEC tournament. Chris Jans’ team will take the floor for the first time on Thursday.