Riley Kugel scores 19 points as Mississippi State defeats No. 21 Memphis 79-66

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Mississippi State guard Riley Kugel (2) drives against the defense of Memphis forward Nicholas Jourdain (2) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Nikki Boertman)

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Mississippi State forward Cameron Matthews (4) defends Memphis guard Colby Rogers (3) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Nikki Boertman)

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Memphis guard PJ Haggerty, center, works against the defense of Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard (12) and KeShawn Murphy (3) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Nikki Boertman)

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Mississippi State forward KeShawn Murphy (3) grabs a rebound from Memphis forward Dain Dainja (30) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Nikki Boertman)

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Memphis forward Nicholas Jourdain (2) grabs control of the ball defended by Mississippi State forward RJ Melendez (22) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Nikki Boertman)

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Mississippi State guard Claudell Harris Jr. (0) reacts during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Memphis Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Nikki Boertman)

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Mississippi State forward RJ Melendez (22) celebrates a three-point basket near Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway, left and Memphis forward Nicholas Jourdain (2) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Nikki Boertman)

By CLAY BAILEY

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Riley Kugel scored 19 points and KeShawn Murphy added 13 points and nine rebounds to lead Mississippi State past No. 21 Memphis 79-66 on Saturday.

Josh Hubbard also had 13 points and Cameron Matthews added 12 points and six assists as the Bulldogs (11-1) built an early 20-point lead and were never really threatened in winning their fifth straight.

PJ Haggerty led Memphis (9-3) with 24 points and Tyrese Hunter finished with 19.

The Mississippi State defense caused a 36% shooting day for the Tigers, including 8 of 27 from outside the arc. Memphis also added 18 turnovers.

Takeaways

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs were just outside the Top 25 in this week’s poll. They should move back into the rankings after this victory.

Memphis: The Tigers can’t seem to enjoy success. They dropped out of the polls after a loss to Arkansas State earlier this month. Wins at Clemson and Virginia got them back in the rankings, but the loss to the Bulldogs came with another uninspired effort.

Key moment

The Bulldog defense caused problems for Memphis. The Tigers threw the ball away and were shooting under 30% for most of the first half, making only one of their first seven shots from outside the arc. That contributed to a 13-0 Bulldogs run and a lead that stretched to 20 points before halftime.

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Key stat

Mississippi State, which shoots 34% from outside the arc for the season, was 9 of 18 from distance in the first half.

Up next

Mississippi State hosts Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 30 and Memphis entertains No. 17 Ole Miss on Dec. 28.

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