Tigers Fall to Mississippi State, 79-66

Saturday, December 21

Memphis, Tenn.

11:30 AM

University of Memphis

9-3,0-0AAC

RV/#25 Mississippi State

11-1,0-0SEC

Mississippi St.

Memphis

Dec 21, 2024 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The No. 21 University of Memphis men's basketball team fell to Mississippi State, 79-66, Saturday morning inside the FedExForum.

The loss halted the Tigers' two-game win streak and dropped them to 9-3 overall.

Redshirt sophomore guard PJ Haggerty scored a game-high 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting while going 8-for-11 at the line.

Senior guard Tyrese Hunter contributed 19 points while also adding three rebounds and three assists.

Memphis started the game with a three ball from Hunter, but from that point on, it was all Mississippi State. The Bulldogs (11-1) responded with a trio of 3-pointers and jumped out to a 21-6 lead eight minutes into the game and never let up.

The Tigers struggled shooting the ball, knocking down just four of their first 19 attempts. They also turned the ball over 12 times and went into the half with a 16-point deficit, 48-32.

The second half saw much of the same as Mississippi State built a 79-55 lead with two minutes to play before the Tigers reeled off 11-straight points to end the game.

Four players finished in double figures for the Bulldogs, led by Riley Kugel's 19 points. Josh Hubbard recorded 13 points, while Keshawn Murphy added 13 points and nine boards and Cam Matthews contributed 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

POSTGAME NOTES

Memphis used the starting lineup of PJ Haggerty, Tyrese Hunter, Colby Rogers, Nicholas Jourdain and Moussa Cisse for the ninth time this season.
- They are 6-3 on the year with this lineup.
Memphis still leads the all-time series between the two schools, 14-12.
The loss dropped Coach Hardaway to 13-10 all-time against SEC opponents, including 1-2 this season.
In the three losses this season, Memphis has led a combined 2:25.
Memphis recorded a season low in field goals made (19) and its 35.8 shooting percentage (19-53) was the second lowest.
The Tigers entered the game ranked second in the nation in 3-point percentage, but have now shot just 26-percent combined from deep the last two games (13-50).
Memphis converted 20-of-26 at the free throw stripe, marking the sixth time this season the Tigers have made at least 20 in a game.
Mississippi State outrebounded Memphis 46-32 on the day, including 19-11 on the offensive end.
The Tigers turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 25 points for Mississippi State.
PJ Haggerty recorded his ninth game of 20 or more points this season.
Tyrese Hunter finished with 19 points, his ninth game of the year in double figures.
- He dropped a game-high four makes from three-point land, giving him five games this season with 4+ makes.
  - He had only accumulated four such games over the first three seasons of his career (106 games).
Dain Dainja scored six points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.
PJ Carter came off the bench and recorded seven points in 19 minutes.
Nicholas Jourdain finished with six points, five boards and two blocks.

UP NEXT
The Tigers will return from the holiday break to welcome No. 17/16 Ole Miss at 1 p.m. on Dec. 28 in a matchup on ESPN2. Fans can purchase tickets to the game HERE.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For complete information on Memphis Tiger Men's Basketball, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.