STARKVILLE, Miss. – Texas Southern fell to Mississippi State 86-73 on Wednesday in a hard fought contest.
The Tigers and Bulldogs were locked in a heated duel during the first 10 minutes of the contest, which saw four ties during that time span.
A Derrick Griffin dunk handed the Tigers their biggest lead at 17-12 with just over 13 minutes left in the first half.
The Bulldogs responded by scoring 11 of the next 15 points to take the lead.
Mississippi State was able to push its lead to as many as 15 early in the second half, but Texas Southern didn't fold as they fought to within four points of the Bulldogs (69-65) with 6:40 left.
Subsequently MSU went on a 9-2 run, which helped put the game out of reach.
Griffin notched a double-double for Texas Southern with 19 points and 12 boards. Chris Thomas added 15 points and eight assists, and Malcolm Riley scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Jerron Martin scored 10.
Mississippi State's Gavin Ware picked up a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Travis Daniels scored 18, and Craig Sword added 16 points and four blocks.
