SOUTHAVEN, Miss. (AP) — Josh Hubbard scored 23 points, Cameron Matthews made several key free throws down the stretch and Mississippi State rallied in the second half to defeat Utah 78-73 on Sunday in the Mid-South Showdown.
KeShawn Murphy scored 18 points, Matthews 12, with 8 of 10 from the line, and Ryan Kugel scored 12 for the Bulldogs. Murphy had 14 rebounds.
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Matthews made two free throws on back-to-back possessions to put the Bulldogs up 75-71 in the final minute. After a Utes miss, their defensive pressure forced Mississippi State to call timeout twice. Utah then fouled Matthews again. He made one of two, then Kugel got an offensive rebound and made a pair of free throws to put the game out of reach.
Ezra Ausar led Utah with 15 points. Mason Madsen scored 14, Keanu Dawes 13 and Miro Little 10. Dawes had 12 rebounds.
Hubbard scored 11 points and Murphy had seven as the Bulldogs stormed back from an 11-point halftime deficit to lead 50-44 with 13 1/2 minutes remaining. The Utes regrouped and went ahead by four before a string of seven lead changes in the next three minutes.
Utah controlled the first half, building an 11-point lead at the intermission. The Utes outscored the Bulldogs 24-11 over the second 10 minutes of the half, with Dawes scoring seven points and Little capping the run with two 3-pointers.
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State lawmakers face a daunting task to blunt the effects of looming federal cuts that threaten to erode health care affordability and access in the years ahead, especially after they failed to address some of the most pressing issues during Mississippi’s 2026 legislative session, experts warn.
For nine days this month, space travel captivated the world. Families gathered around their screens as four astronauts strapped into the Integrity spacecraft docked at the Kennedy Space Center. As the launch countdown ended, four Mississippi-tested RS-45 engines ignited, and the ground shook. Seven seconds later, the Integrity had liftoff. For six intense minutes, the RS-45 engines rocketed the crew into high Earth orbit, sending them on their historic lunar flyby mission.
Mississippi should take a bow. The four RS-45 engines were tested at our very own Stennis Space Center, where Mississippians have been ensuring the quality of rocket engines since the Apollo program. For eight years, engineers, safety managers, and logistics specialists from the state have tested the engines that powered the Integrity and will power future Artemis launches. Their work paid off, and the launch was a marvel of engineering. NASA leadership made special mention of the rocket engine burn, calling it “flawless.”
One Mississippian in particular helped make the mission a success. Hernando native Matthew Ramsey handled a great deal of responsibility as the mission manager for Artemis II. The Mississippi State University graduate helped set the focus for the mission and equip the astronauts and staff for the job. Matthew also served as the deputy of the Mission Management Team, the group of NASA staff that comes together just days before a launch. The team assumes the risks of the mission ahead, and they make tough calls during flight if challenges arise.
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As the Artemis II journey progressed, the world could not stop watching. Our social media feeds were full of photos and videos beamed down from the heavens. They captured humorous situations, such as the astronauts adjusting to life without gravity or testing their plumbing skills.
We also witnessed moments of majesty. On the fifth day, the Integrity began using the Moon’s gravity to slingshot our astronauts back home. That trajectory led the crew around the Moon, farther from Earth than any humans have ever gone. As the explorers looked upon outer space, they captured stunning images. Among the most remarkable is Earthset, in which Commander Reid Wiseman photographed Earth as it appeared to fall below the horizon of the moon.
When their spacecraft returned to Earth’s atmosphere, the crew was traveling nearly 35 times faster than the speed of sound. Ten minutes later, a series of parachutes began opening. Eventually, the spacecraft’s speed fell to 20 miles per hour, and the crew splashed down into the Pacific Ocean.
Mississippi was once again there to assist. The astronauts were greeted by the USS John P. Murtha, a U.S. military vessel built in the Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula. The ship’s amphibious design was suited to welcome the space travelers home—equipped with a helicopter pad, medical facilities, and the communications system needed to locate and recover the astronauts safely. Crucially, the USS Murtha was built with a well deck, a sea-based garage that stored the Integrity on the journey to shore.
Artemis II was a resounding success, paving the way for planned future flights. When the Artemis program returns humans to the moon, Mississippi will be there every step of the way.
