ATLANTA (AP) — Miles Kelly scored 14 of his 22 points in the first half and Georgia Tech beat No. 21 Mississippi State 67-59 on Tuesday night to give the Bulldogs their first loss.
Mississippi State (6-1) struggled with poor shooting in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge. The Bulldogs, who never led, made only 31% of their shots (20 of 65) from the field.
When Georgia Tech (3-2) stretched its lead to double figures late in the first half, Mississippi State unsuccessfully tried to rally by placing more emphasis on 3-point shooting.
Kelly also led Georgia Tech with 12 rebounds. The junior sank four 3-pointers, including one in the final minute of the first half and another early in the second half. Deebo Coleman followed with another 3 as the Yellow Jackets matched their biggest lead of 15 points at 47-32.
Josh Hubbard led Mississippi State with 17 points. Dashawn Davis added 12 points.
Kyle Sturdivant scored 12 points and Naithan George added 11 for Georgia Tech.
The Bulldogs won their first six games despite losing All-Southeastern Conference forward Tolu Smith to a left foot injury before the season. Smith could return in mid-January.
Georgia Tech led 28-24 before closing the first half with an 11-2 run, including the final seven points. Kelly's 3-pointer stretched the Yellow Jackets' lead to double digits at 37-26. Sturdivant's steal and layup to close the half extended the advantage to 13 points.
BIG PICTURE
Mississippi State: Forward KeShawn Murphy did not score while playing only two minutes in his second game back from a foot injury. Murphy missed the first five games before returning to score six points in 11 minutes in a 74-61 home win over Nicholls on Friday night.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets leaned on its defense, holding the Bulldogs to 30.3% shooting in the first half and forcing two shot-clock violations. Overall, Georgia Tech forced 13 turnovers and claimed a 16-5 advantage in points off turnovers. The Yellow Jackets made only 1 of their last 14 shots from the field
UP NEXT
Mississippi State: Hosts Southern on Sunday.
Georgia Tech: Hosts No. 7 Duke on Saturday.
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