Mississippi State, Memphis working through similar struggles
Both Memphis Tigers and Mississippi State Bulldogs will aim to get their seasons pointed in the right direction when squaring off on Saturday in Starkville, Miss.
The Bulldogs (6-5) have won two straight games. On Tuesday they squeaked out an 87-83 home win over Long Island.
Leading scorer Josh Hubbard (21.6 points per game) racked up a game-high 34 points and Jayden Epps (16.7 ppg) poured in 20 points. Mississippi State also got 12 points from reserve Sergej Macura, but it took an 11-4 game-closing run to pull away from the Sharks.
It was the play of Macura, a forward from Slovenia who set a season high in points and minutes played against Long Island, that stood out to Mississippi State coach Chris Jans.
"We've struggled at times as to who should be in the rotation at some of those spots," Jans said. "He plays a spot we struggle with at times and it's not as solid as we'd like. He made a strong case that he needs to be, for the short term at the minimum, a guy that is playing more minutes than maybe he has."
Meanwhile, the Tigers (4-6) lost a home game 77-70 in overtime to No. 13 Vanderbilt on Wednesday.
Leading scorer Dug McDaniel (14.5 ppg) and Sincere Parker (10.2) each scored 18 points as Memphis was able to scrap its way back into the game and force overtime. Hasan Abdul Hakim had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Tariq Ingraham offered 11 points off the bench.
For Memphis coach Penny Hardaway, the losses have come as a surprise as a new roster continues to try to jell.
"Maybe these are just hard lessons that I haven't had to go through in a very, very long time," Hardaway said. "I haven't been through these lessons since my first year. We haven't lost these kinds of games in a long, long time. It seems like every one of these really good games, we just don't know how to win as a team."
--Field Level Media
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1st Half

MEM
Tigers
14
MSST
Bulldogs
23
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6:21 | Hasan Abdul Hakim offensive rebound | |||
| 6:23 | Thierno Sylla misses two point layup | |||
| 6:30 | Hasan Abdul Hakim offensive rebound | |||
| 6:32 | Aaron Bradshaw misses two point jump shot | |||
| 7:02 | Quincy Ballard turnover (lost ball) (Thierno Sylla steals) | |||
| 7:02 | Jump ball. Quincy Ballard vs. Thierno Sylla (Tigers gains possession) | |||
| 7:04 | Quincy Ballard offensive rebound | |||
| 7:06 | Josh Hubbard misses two point layup | |||
| 7:25 | Aaron Bradshaw turnover (lost ball) (Shawn Jones Jr. steals) | |||
| 7:45 | +3 | Jayden Epps makes three point jump shot (Sergej Macura assists) | 14-23 | |
| 7:59 | TV timeout | |||
| 8:06 | Sergej Macura defensive rebound | |||
| 8:08 | Ashton Hardaway misses three point jump shot | |||
| 8:16 | Sergej Macura turnover (bad pass) (Dug McDaniel steals) | |||
| 8:40 | Dug McDaniel turnover (bad pass) (Shawn Jones Jr. steals) | |||
| 8:44 | Julius Thedford defensive rebound | |||
| 8:46 | Ja'Borri McGhee misses two point jump shot | |||
| 9:04 | +2 | Aaron Bradshaw makes two point jump shot (Hasan Abdul Hakim assists) | 14-20 | |
| 9:20 | Shawn Jones Jr. turnover (bad pass) | |||
| 9:26 | Jamarion Davis-Fleming offensive rebound | |||
| 9:28 | Shawn Jones Jr. misses three point jump shot | |||
| 9:54 | +2 | Tariq Ingraham makes two point layup (Curtis Givens III assists) | 12-20 | |
| 10:11 | +1 | Ja'Borri McGhee makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 10-20 | |
| 10:11 | +1 | Ja'Borri McGhee makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 10-19 | |
| 10:11 | Curtis Givens III shooting foul (Ja'Borri McGhee draws the foul) | |||
| 10:14 | Tariq Ingraham turnover (lost ball) (Ja'Borri McGhee steals) | |||
| 10:19 | Tariq Ingraham offensive rebound | |||
| 10:21 | Tariq Ingraham misses two point layup | |||
| 10:31 | Quante Berry defensive rebound | |||
| 10:33 | Josh Hubbard misses two point jump shot | |||
| 10:39 | Jamarion Davis-Fleming defensive rebound | |||
| 10:41 | Quante Berry misses three point jump shot | |||
| 10:51 | +2 | Jamarion Davis-Fleming makes two point dunk (Shawn Jones Jr. assists) | 10-18 | |
| 11:07 | Sergej Macura defensive rebound | |||
| 11:07 | Curtis Givens III misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
| 11:07 | +1 | Curtis Givens III makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 10-16 | |
| 11:07 | Jayden Epps shooting foul (Curtis Givens III draws the foul) | |||
| 11:28 | TV timeout | |||
| 11:28 | Tigers defensive rebound | |||
| 11:30 | Ja'Borri McGhee misses three point jump shot | |||
| 11:57 | +3 | Ashton Hardaway makes three point jump shot (Aaron Bradshaw assists) | 9-16 | |
| 12:13 | +1 | Ja'Borri McGhee makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 6-16 | |
| 12:13 | +1 | Ja'Borri McGhee makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 6-15 | |
| 12:13 | Ashton Hardaway shooting foul (Ja'Borri McGhee draws the foul) | |||
| 12:25 | +2 | Curtis Givens III makes two point jump shot (Quante Berry assists) | 6-14 | |
| 12:34 | Achor Achor personal foul | |||
| 12:34 | Julius Thedford offensive rebound | |||
| 12:36 | Quante Berry misses three point jump shot | |||
| 12:39 | Ja'Borri McGhee personal foul | |||
| 12:43 | Sincere Parker defensive rebound | |||
| 12:45 | Achor Achor misses two point layup | |||
| 12:48 | Achor Achor offensive rebound | |||
| 12:50 | Josh Hubbard misses three point jump shot | |||
| 12:59 | Ja'Borri McGhee defensive rebound | |||
| 13:01 | Dug McDaniel misses three point jump shot | |||
| 13:25 | +2 | Jayden Epps makes two point layup | 4-14 | |
| 13:30 | Achor Achor defensive rebound | |||
| 13:32 | Dug McDaniel misses two point jump shot | |||
| 13:48 | Ja'Borri McGhee turnover (lost ball) (Dug McDaniel steals) | |||
| 13:59 | Bulldogs offensive rebound | |||
| 13:59 | Achor Achor misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
| 13:59 | Sincere Parker shooting foul (Achor Achor draws the foul) | |||
| 13:59 | +2 | Achor Achor makes two point layup (Shawn Jones Jr. assists) | 4-12 | |
| 14:06 | Ja'Borri McGhee defensive rebound | |||
| 14:08 | Aaron Bradshaw misses three point jump shot | |||
| 14:17 | Hasan Abdul Hakim defensive rebound | |||
| 14:19 | Quincy Ballard misses two point jump shot | |||
| 14:36 | Quante Berry personal foul | |||
| 14:51 | +1 | Quante Berry makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 4-10 | |
| 14:51 | Quante Berry misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
| 14:51 | Jayden Epps shooting foul (Quante Berry draws the foul) | |||
| 14:53 | Sergej Macura turnover (lost ball) (Quante Berry steals) | |||
| 15:04 | Sergej Macura defensive rebound | |||
| 15:06 | Sincere Parker misses three point jump shot | |||
| 15:10 | Quante Berry offensive rebound | |||
| 15:14 | Hasan Abdul Hakim misses three point jump shot | |||
| 15:27 | Jayden Epps turnover (traveling) | |||
| 15:27 | Tigers turnover (shot clock violation) | |||
| 15:45 | TV timeout | |||
| 16:03 | +3 | Jayden Epps makes three point jump shot (Shawn Jones Jr. assists) | 3-10 | |
| 16:12 | Quincy Ballard defensive rebound | |||
| 16:14 | Julius Thedford misses three point jump shot | |||
| 16:22 | Dug McDaniel defensive rebound | |||
| 16:24 | Shawn Jones Jr. misses two point layup | |||
| 16:39 | Josh Hubbard defensive rebound | |||
| 16:41 | Dug McDaniel misses three point jump shot | |||
| 16:53 | Tigers 30 second timeout | |||
| 17:02 | +3 | Jayden Epps makes three point stepback jump shot | 3-7 | |
| 17:15 | Quincy Ballard offensive rebound | |||
| 17:17 | Josh Hubbard misses three point jump shot | |||
| 17:50 | +3 | Julius Thedford makes three point jump shot (Dug McDaniel assists) | 3-4 | |
| 17:58 | Julius Thedford defensive rebound | |||
| 18:00 | Jayden Epps misses three point jump shot | |||
| 18:06 | Quincy Ballard offensive rebound | |||
| 18:08 | Josh Hubbard misses three point jump shot | |||
| 18:35 | Thierno Sylla turnover (offensive foul) | |||
| 18:35 | Thierno Sylla offensive foul (Jayden Epps draws the foul) | |||
| 18:58 | +2 | Josh Hubbard makes two point layup | 0-4 | |
| 19:06 | Quincy Ballard defensive rebound | |||
| 19:08 | Ashton Hardaway misses three point jump shot | |||
| 19:33 | +2 | Sergej Macura makes two point floating jump shot | 0-2 | |
| 20:00 | Thierno Sylla vs. Quincy Ballard (Bulldogs gains possession) |
| Min. Per Game | ||
| Pts. Per Game | ||
| Ast. Per Game | ||
| Reb. Per Game | ||
| Field Goal % | ||
| Three Point % | ||
| Free Throw % |
| Hasan Abdul Hakim offensive rebound | 6:21 |
| Thierno Sylla misses two point layup | 6:23 |
| Hasan Abdul Hakim offensive rebound | 6:30 |
| Aaron Bradshaw misses two point jump shot | 6:32 |
| Quincy Ballard turnover (lost ball) (Thierno Sylla steals) | 7:02 |
| Quincy Ballard offensive rebound | 7:04 |
| Josh Hubbard misses two point layup | 7:06 |
| Aaron Bradshaw turnover (lost ball) (Shawn Jones Jr. steals) | 7:25 |
| |
+ 3 | Jayden Epps makes three point jump shot (Sergej Macura assists) | 7:45 |
| Sergej Macura defensive rebound | 8:06 |
| Ashton Hardaway misses three point jump shot | 8:08 |
| Team Stats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Points | 14 | 23 |
| Field Goals | 5-20 (25.0%) | 8-20 (40.0%) |
| 3-Pointers | 2-13 (15.4%) | 3-9 (33.3%) |
| Free Throws | 2-4 (50.0%) | 4-5 (80.0%) |
| Total Rebounds | 13 | 16 |
| Offensive | 6 | 5 |
| Defensive | 6 | 10 |
| Team | 1 | 1 |
| Assists | 5 | 4 |
| Steals | 4 | 3 |
| Blocks | 0 | 0 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 6 |
| Fouls | 5 | 4 |
| Technicals | 0 | 0 |
| Key Players | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
00
|
. Givens III G | 7.4 PPG | 0.8 RPG | 1.6 APG | 41.2 FG% |
|
00
|
. Epps G | 16.7 PPG | 2.2 RPG | 1.8 APG | 47.7 FG% |
| Top Scorers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. Givens III G | 3 PTS | 0 REB | 1 AST | ||
| J. Epps G | 11 PTS | 0 REB | 0 AST | ||
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| A. Hardaway | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Thedford | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| D. McDaniel | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0/3 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| T. Sylla | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| H. Abdul Hakim | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| A. Hardaway | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1/3 | 1/3 | 0/0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Thedford | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| D. McDaniel | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0/3 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| T. Sylla | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| H. Abdul Hakim | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| C. Givens III | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A. Bradshaw | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| T. Ingraham | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Q. Berry | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| S. Parker | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Z. Davis | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| W. Whorton | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A. Arop | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| M. Matthews | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| S. Majok | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 14 | 12 | 5 | 5/20 | 2/13 | 2/4 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| J. Epps | 11 | 0 | 0 | 4/5 | 3/4 | 0/0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Hubbard | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/6 | 0/3 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| S. Macura | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| S. Jones Jr. | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0/2 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Q. Ballard | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| J. Epps | 11 | 0 | 0 | 4/5 | 3/4 | 0/0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Hubbard | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/6 | 0/3 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| S. Macura | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| S. Jones Jr. | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0/2 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Q. Ballard | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
| J. McGhee | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A. Achor | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| J. Davis-Fleming | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| K. Grace | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| T. Bartlett | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| B. Walker | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| A. Ali | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| D. Warren | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| C. Paul | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 23 | 15 | 4 | 8/20 | 3/9 | 4/5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 10 |