Josh Hubbard paces Mississippi State to easy win over Tennessee Tech

Oct 14, 2026; Birmingham, AL, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans speaks during the SEC Basketball Tipoff at Grand Bohemian Hotel Mountain Brook. Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-Imagn Images Josh Hubbard had 25 points and nine assists on Monday to help Mississippi State post a 106-88 victory over visiting Tennessee Tech in the season opener for both teams at Starkville, Miss. King Grace added 23 points and hit four 3-pointers and Tajuan Simpkins scored 15 for Mississippi State, which won its 17th straight home opener. Thomas Bassong added 14 and RJ Johnson chipped in 12 for the Bulldogs, who shot 58.3% from the field and drilled 12 of 24 3-pointers in their first 100-point game at home since Nov. 8, 2024. Caleb Sanders led Tennessee Tech with 28 points, while De'Ante Green scored 12. Mississippi State pushed its lead to 19 on Grace's five straight points with 13:41 left in the second half. Tennessee Tech answered with a 9-2 run - including Trent Mosquera's 3-pointer and Sanders' three-point play - to pull within 12. The Bulldogs extended the lead to 22 for the first time on Simpkins' 3-pointer and subsequent three-point play with 7:01 remaining. The Golden Eagles mounted another push as Sanders' three-point play and Cbo Newton's triple cut the margin to 13, but two more Hubbard baskets got Mississippi State to the century-mark to ice the opening night win. Grace made consecutive layups to begin an early 7-0 run to give the Bulldogs a 12-5 lead. Tennessee Tech took its first lead with 10:35 left in the first half, as Cal Hollenbeck and Mosquera each hit a 3-pointer to bookend an 8-0 spurt to put the Golden Eagles ahead 21-19. The score was knotted at 31, before Hubbard and Grace buried triples and Simpkins completed a three-point play to make it 40-31. After Newton made a pair of free throws to cut the visitors' deficit to eight, Grace and Hubbard continued to find the range, knocking down another 3-pointer apiece to push the difference to 16. Grace scored 16 first-half points for the Bulldogs, who led 53-37 at halftime. --Field Level Media