Bulldogs Put Away Bethune-Cookman 87-73 [Video]

Riley Kugel scored 22 points and Josh Hubbard added 16 to lead No. 17 Mississippi State to an 87-73 victory over Bethune-Cookman on Monday night.

Mississippi State (12-1) struggled to put away Bethune-Cookman (3-10) until reeling off a 16-4 run midway through the second half.

Kugel was 10 of 13 from the floor and had four rebounds before fouling out late. RJ Melendez and Claudell Harris each had 12 points for the Bulldogs, with Harris scoring all his points in the second half.

Trey Thomas and Brayon Freeman each scored 21 points for Bethune-Cookman, and Reggie Ward Jr. added 14. Thomas was ejected in the second half after getting called for his second technical foul.

Mississippi State jumped out to a 20-9 advantage but couldn’t shake the Wildcats in the first half. The margin was trimmed to 27-26 before the Bulldogs took a 52-45 halftime lead.

Bethune-Cookman shot 58% in …