Mississippi State Bulldogs vs Mississippi Rebels Box Score on Feb 20, 2021

Iverson Molinar scored 17 points and Mississippi State's defense cooled off host Mississippi for a 66-56 Southeastern Conference victory Saturday in Oxford Miss.

D.J. Stewart Jr. added 16 points and Tolu Smith had 12 as MSU (12-11, 6-8 SEC) won for just the second time in its last eight conference games. The Bulldogs avenged a 64-46 home loss to the Rebels on Jan. 19.

The Rebels (12-9, 7-7) had won their last four games and had shot at least 50 percent in their last three games, averaging 82.3 points. They shot 38.2 percent Saturday.

KJ Buffen scored 13 to lead Ole Miss, whose leading scorer, Devontae Shuler, who was coming off a career-high 31-point performance in a win at South Carolina, scored just four points and shot one for 15.

Molinar scored the Bulldogs' first five points of the second half to give them a 36-27 lead.

The Rebels got within 37-32, but Smith made a layup and Stewart added a jumper to give MSU a nine-point lead.

Shuler finally made his first field goal after missing his first 10 shots, converting a layup that got Ole Miss within 41-34 with 13:40 remaining.

The Rebels got within five, but Molinar answered with five straight points and Smith added a free throw to give the Bulldogs a 49-38 lead midway through the half.

Ole Miss closed to 60-54 with 1:37 left, but MSU scored the next four points.

MSU took a 13-4 lead as it held Ole Miss to two field goals in the first six minutes.

Deivon Smith converted a three-point play to extend the lead to 22-9 midway through the half.

Shuler got his first points when he made two free throws with 5:03 left in the half and Austin Crowley's jumper cut the deficit to 28-23.

Molinar made three free throws before the Rebels' Jerkel Joiner beat the buzzer with a layup that cut the Bulldogs' lead to 31-25 at halftime.

--Field Level Media