Mississippi
Inside the 5 plays that helped Mississippi State basketball hold off Georgia’s 2nd-half surge
Mississippi State basketball was leading by eight points to start the second half. Seven minutes later, Georgia tied the game with seven minutes to play.
Stegeman Coliseum was as loud as it had been all game.
Then with 6:33 to go in the game, MSU forward Cameron Matthews had the ball in the post and kicked it out to the top of the key for Claudell Harris Jr. Harris sank a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer as the shot clock expired, hushing the Georgia fans.
That was one of five times in the half when Georgia tied the game up, only for Mississippi State to answer on the next possession in the nail-biter of a 76-75 win on Saturday in Athens, Georgia. The win snapped a two-game losing skid seven days after Mississippi State (17-6, 5-5 SEC) suffered its worst home loss since 2013.
“It was quite the game,” MSU coach Chris Jans said. “We survived a lot.”
How Mississippi State kept punching Georgia back
It wasn’t one MSU player who kept scoring to hold off Georgia’s surges. In fact, there were different players in each instance.
“It meant a lot, but that’s nothing new,” Matthews said. “That’s the same thing we’ve been working with all year. We got about 9-10 guys deep. We work hard every day. We get after each other every day, so we already knew what we could do.”
First, starting center Michael Nwoko, who scored MSU’s first nine points of the game, muscled in for a layup at the 17:05 mark, ending Georgia’s 8-0 run out of halftime.
Thirty-six seconds later, after Georgia tied it at 42, RJ Melendez, the transfer from Georgia who was booed by fans all game, hit a free throw.
Georgia (16-6, 4-7) tied the score again at 45 with Silas Demary Jr.’s 3-pointer. Shawn Jones Jr. answered with a 3-pointer, kick-starting an 8-0 MSU run.
Mississippi State broke one last tie with 3:42 remaining after Georgia scored five points in one possession. Harris was whistled for a flagrant foul on Georgia freshman Asa Newell, who connected on both of his free throws. Then, Newell drilled a 3-pointer to knot the score at 71-71. But MSU forward KeShawn Murphy slithered around a backdoor screen set by Josh Hubbard for an easy layup.
Mississippi State led for 32 minutes, 20 seconds of game time.
Mississippi State overcame bad free-throw shooting
Mississippi State nearly lost the game because of how poorly it shot free throws. It made just 6-of-18 attempts (33.3%), evenly split at 3-for-9 in each half.
Matthews was fouled with 7.2 seconds remaining, putting him at the free-throw line in the single bonus with a 76-75 lead. He missed the first shot. Georgia raced down the floor with a chance to take the lead, but Demary turned it over when he dribbled the ball off his foot.
Harris was fouled with 1 second remaining, but he also missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw.
MSU got one last stop when Melendez swatted away a full-court inbounds pass.
“Certainly, the one thing we’re disappointed in more than anything is just the free throws,” Jans said. “We’ve been a much better free-throw shooting (team) than that. It really felt like, I told some of the coaches, this is how we used to win. Bad from the line, bad from the 3. We’d defend and scrap and get it down to a one-possession game and figure out a way to win it. It felt like that.
“We’re not saying that’s what we’re trying to go back to, but you got to win in any fashion or form. That’s all that matters is how you win.”
It was the first time since 2021 that MSU shot below 40% from the free-throw line (minimum 10 attempts) and won.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Inside the new Lego retailer, Bricks & Minifigs
Customers can buy or sell Legos and get individual bricks at the new store in Montrose.
Shoppers visiting Renaissance at Colony Park later this month will notice a big change.
Apple is moving to a new and larger store within the Ridgeland shopping center, while LEGO plans to take over Apple’s current location once the move is complete, according to Apple and other industry sources.
Apple has announced that its new store will open July 24 near the development’s Show Fountain. The company is not leaving Ridgeland. Instead, it is moving to a new location a short distance away inside Renaissance at Colony Park.
The company has operated a store at Renaissance for more than a decade. Once Apple moves into its new store, LEGO plans to open in the company’s former space. The addition will bring another well-known international brand to central Mississippi and give LEGO fans a dedicated store in the Jackson metro area.
It is another win for Ridgeland with last week’s announcement that a Dave & Buster’s that will be located at the PradoVista development near Topgolf. A site plan and architectural review for Dave & Buster’s was approved at the Ridgeland Board of Aldermen meeting on Tuesday, July 7.
Renaissance at Colony Park continues to thrive
Over the years, the center has attracted a mix of national retailers, restaurants and specialty stores. Previous developments at Renaissance have included luxury retailers, popular restaurant chains and entertainment options that draw shoppers from across Mississippi and neighboring states.
Apple’s new location will continue offering product sales, technical support and repair services. Customers will also be able to attend the company’s “Today at Apple” classes and workshops, which provide free lessons on photography, video, music and other topics.
Apple has not released details about the size of the new store. The Ridgeland project is one of several store moves announced this summer.
Renaissance keeps storefront
For Renaissance, the deal works in several ways.
Apple stays at the shopping center and receives a newer storefront. At the same time, the center fills Apple’s former location with another high-profile retailer instead of leaving the space vacant.
LEGO stores are often considered destination retailers because customers will drive long distances to visit them. Families, collectors and hobbyists frequently seek out official LEGO stores for exclusive products and special events.
For shoppers, the most immediate change will be Apple’s July 24 opening. Customers who need repairs, technical help or product purchases will be directed to the new store after the move.
LEGO has not yet announced an opening date.
Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi leaders across the board are reflecting on the legacy of service Sen. Lindsey Graham had in Washington, D.C.
3 On Your Side spoke on the phone with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith who shared that Graham treated her like a little sister when she arrived to the Senate.
Their friendship grew outside of work, but one thing she’ll really cherish is the teamwork they developed to get things done with President Donald Trump.
“There were times he would come to me and say, OK sister, you’re going to have to break this news to Trump. If it was a difficult situation, he would say you got to soften him up, you call him and then I’ll call him after you but you’re the one that’s going to have to take care of this. Or you’ve got to go to Mar-a-Lago and handle this, but we were a pretty good team together because we were both close to the President,” said Sen. Hyde-Smith.
Sen. Hyde-Smith added, since coming to Washington, D.C., she looked up to Sen. Graham like an older brother in the chamber.
Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.
Copyright 2026 WLBT. All rights reserved.
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball signee Landon Brown will play for the Bulldogs instead of signing a pro contract, he told the Clarion Ledger on July 12 during the 2026 MLB Draft.
Brown, a right-handed pitcher from Rosharon, Texas, was ranked as the No. 77 prospect by MLB.com. He pitched and played corner infield for Iowa Colony while winning Brazoria County Player of the Year.
He won’t be eligible again for the MLB draft until 2029.
Brown is 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. He has a fastball that reaches 98 mph as part of a four-pitch mix. He also throws a slider, cutter and splitter.
Brown committed to Mississippi State in 2024 under previous coach Chris Lemonis.
He is the third high school draft prospect to reveal he will play for MSU instead of signing a pro contract. Shortstop Noah Danza withdrew from the MLB draft before it began, and pitcher Denton Lord announced after the fifth round that he was heading to Mississippi State.
Three Mississippi State signees were drafted in the first 10 rounds: shortstop Rocco Maniscalco, catcher Will Brick and outfielder Martin Shelar.
Landon Brown stats
- 66⅔ innings
- 0.63 ERA
- 110 strikeouts
- 13 walks
- .424 batting average
- 13 home runs
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
-
Florida6 minutes agoSouth Florida scientists studying newborn sea turtles
-
Georgia12 minutes agoGeorgia twins launch 3D-printed toy business
-
Hawaii18 minutes agoGuided tours take visitors into Honouliuli internment camp’s ‘Hell Valley’
-
Idaho24 minutes agoIdaho attorneys rebuff DOJ threat to prosecute Secretary of State in voter roll dispute
-
Illinois30 minutes ago8 Most Charming Town Squares In Illinois
-
Indiana36 minutes agoACLU of Indiana sues over conditions at Monroe County Jail
-
Iowa42 minutes agoNorthwest Iowa woman taken to the hospital after rollover
-
Kansas48 minutes agoPilot of crop duster plane survives crash Monday in NE Kansas
