Molinar hits milestone as Mississippi State beats Ole Miss

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Iverson Molinar tossed in 20 points, topping the 1,000 mark for his career, and Mississippi State rolled to a 78-60 victory over Mississippi on Saturday.

Molinar sank 7 of 11 shots — 2 of 5 from 3-point range — for the Bulldogs (13-5, 4-2 Southeastern Conference). Iverson went over 1,000 career points — the 41st Bulldog to accomplish the feat — when he scored on a fast-break layup with 2:27 left in the game, giving the Bulldogs a 76-57 lead. Molinar, the reigning SEC player of the week also had four steals.

Ole Miss (9-9, 1-5) closed to within 61-59 on a jumper by Nysier Brooks with 13:21 remaining, but Javian Davis scored on a layup, Molinar sank a 3-pointer and D.J. Jeffries followed with a three-point play as Mississippi State scored 15 straight points to grab a 66-49 lead with 7:06 left. The Rebels, who have lost four straight, never threatened after the MSU run.

Garrison Brooks had 17 points for Mississippi State. Jeffries and Tolu Smith scored 11 apiece. Shakeel Moore had 10 points and seven assists.

Matthew Murrell led Ole Miss with 14 points. Jaemyn Brakefield added 13 points, while Brooks scored 12.

Mississippi State travels to play No. 12 Kentucky on Tuesday. Ole Miss will host Florida on Monday.