NEWARK, N.J. – Rutgers men's basketball fell to Mississippi State in a neutral-site meeting at the Prudential Center in Newark. The Scarlet Knights fell Saturday, 70-60, to Mississippi State, who was ranked as high as No. 21 in the polls this year and is in the receiving votes section of the AP Poll this week. The game was tied at halftime, but MSU took advantage in the second half to capture the win.

Aundre Hyatt led RU with 18 points, his second-highest scoring output of the season. Derek Simpson tied his career-high with six assists.

The Bulldogs improved to 6-0 in neutral site games, with an average margin in double-figures, and 11-3 in the last two years. MSU was buoyed by two double-doubles, from Jimmy Bell Jr. (17 points, 18 rebounds) and Cameron Matthews (18 points, 11 rebounds). MSU took advantage of a 47-26 margin on rebounds.

The first half featured a series of runs by each team. Rutgers made its first four shots for a quick nine points and opened five-of-seven from the field. After a quick 9-6 lead for RU, the scoring slowed down, with Mississippi State making just two of their next 13 shots in an extending scoring drought (without a field goal for over seven minutes) to allow RU a 20-15 lead halfway through the first half after a 9-1 RU run.

However, the Bulldogs countered with a 10-0 scoring run before Aundre Hyatt snapped a five-minute scoring drought. The scoring slowed down in the last 10 minutes of the opening half. After RU opened a 20-15 lead at the midpoint, the teams combined for just 23 points in the final 10 minutes of the opening stanza. A big three-pointer from Hyatt at the buzzer following a steal sent the game into the break even at 29-29. RU finished the opening half on a 5-0 run in the last minute and a 9-4 stretch in the final 5:25 of the first half.

The Bulldogs started the second half on an 8-2 run. Rutgers started the second half just three-of-12 from the field. MSU extended the run to 20-8 to take a 12-point lead at the midpoint of the second half.

Rutgers fought back in the second half, looking to spark the offense and close the gap. A 6-0 run got RU within nine with 4:11 to play. However, RU was unable to get any closer.

Mississippi State shot 46.4 percent in the second half, compared to 35.5% for the Scarlet Knights after halftime. MSU was also 14-of-17 at the free-throw line after halftime.

The Bulldogs had 30 points in the paint, out rebounded RU by 21 rebounds and made 22 free-throws on the game. 



Postgame Notes

• Derek Simpson tied his career-high with six assists, his most in a game since December 30 of 2022 against Coppin State.
• Aundre Hyatt has scored double-figures in seven of the 11 games this year and had his third game with at least 17 points.
• MSU freshman Josh Hubbard entered the game leading the team at 16.0 points per game. RU held him to a season-low two points, and under 10 points for just the second time this season.
• Cliff Omoruyi suffered through foul trouble, with a season-low three points in a season-low 20 minutes played.
• Mississippi State entered the game ninth nationally in scoring defense at 61.0 points per game and 10^th in opponent field goal percentage 39.4%. The Bulldogs used that skill to hold the RU offense down, with RU totals below those marks.

Postgame Quotes

Head coach Steve Pikiell
 
Opening Statements:
"I appreciate everyone coming here during the holiday time. I want to thank our crowd for showing up. Obviously I have a ton of respect for Mississippi State. I watched too much film and I think they are one of the best defensive teams in the country and I thought for twenty minutes we hung around, but it's on me to figure out this rebounding thing. We didn't do a great job on the backboard and obviously that led to free throws. We played an NCAA tournament team and I told our guys if we can find a way for 40 minutes then we would have a chance. This was a big, physical basketball game and we didn't take care of the backboards the way we needed to."
 
On getting help for Clifford Omoruyi:
 
"He was in foul trouble today and that was really tough. He never really got into the flow at all. We played on some runs without him and when I left him in he got two quick fouls right away. We couldn't get a break today and obviously, we need Cliff. He's very good, but it's a team game and it's on me to make sure he doesn't get into foul trouble. We have to play better as a group and I have to do better."
 
On second-half adjustments:
 
"They do a really good job at Mississippi State. They have unbelievable players and they are very old. Obviously, Bell is a problem in the post and Matthews is a grown man. Their age, experience, and ability to play hard does them well. They are a top-five defensive team in the country so we had to play well for 40 minutes on a neutral site and we didn't. They went on a good run and had good opportunities. We had some shot attempts that I told our guys that we had to take. They were open and they gave you those tough shots at the mid-range. We didn't execute today but we played really hard and we will keep fighting, especially against a team like that".  
 
On Derek Simpson's shooting struggles:
 
"He had some really good shots today too. He didn't make all of his shots tonight, but we had to continue to take the shots we had. They are a team that does not give you a lot of open looks and they are a very hard team. You have to score on transition and you have to take what they give you. We took care of the ball, we didn't force a lot of turnovers, but we have to connect on the good looks we had."

Up Next

Rutgers continues its stretch of playing each Saturday in December with another one-week stretch before its next game. The Scarlet Knights will close out non-conference play on December 30 with a home game against Stonehill. Following that, RU dives back into Big Ten Conference play, with the resumption of league play seeing three of the first four contests in 2024 on the road.