OXFORD, Miss., - Mississippi State won round one of the Magnolia State battle on the hardwood knocking off 14th-ranked Ole Miss 80-75 for the second consecutive year at Tad Smith Coliseum.

The Bulldogs let a 12-point lead disappear in the first half and trailed by as many as nine in the second before battling back to open up Southeastern Conference play at 1-0.

"Anytime you go on the road in this league and win is special," said MSU head coach Rick Stansbury. "It's just not easy to go on the road and win. But anytime you can go on the road and win against your rival and do it in your season opener, which isn't where you want to open up."

MSU improved to 13-3 on the year shooting 42.1-percent on the day. The Bulldogs bounced back behind the arc hitting 10-of-22 and outrebounded Ole Miss 46-39 off the glass.



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