Mississippi
Butler earns statement win vs. Mississippi State, claims Arizona Tip-Off title
Butler played its best game of the season, relying on smothering perimeter defense and shooting the lights out from deep, earning an 87-77 win over Mississippi State and claiming the Arizona Tip-Off championship.
It’s Butler first in-season tournament title since 2019 Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City.
Jahmyl Telfort led Butler with 24 points. Pierre Brooks II added 22 points and nine rebounds.
Here are three takeaways from the resume-building win.
Jahmyl Telfort, Pierre Brooks II close out Mississippi State
Butler (6-1) led by as many as 11 points in the second half, but Mississippi State, No. 25 in the AP poll and unbeaten prior to Friday night didn’t go down easy. MSU (6-1) cut Butler’s lead to two with 6:22 left in the game. When Butler needed to respond to MSU’s run it turned to its two best players — Pierre Brooks II and Jahmyl Telfort.
The preseason second team All-Big East selections made all the necessary plays to hold off Mississippi State and seal the victory. The duo scored 11 of Butler’s final 17 points, often finding each other for baskets down the stretch.
Telfort is such a steady presence for the Dawgs. He’s never rattled, never out of control and the poise paid off for Butler. Brooks showed why he led Butler in scoring last season. He’s a deadly shooter from deep and has the strength to finish inside. Telfort and Brooks combined for 46 points, shooting an identical 8-for-15 from the field.
In Telfort and Brooks, Butler has two of the best players in the Big East. When they’re both playing well, expect Butler to hang with every team it faces.
3-ball, corner pocket
After a slow start, Butler found its rhythm from deep, unleashing a 3-point barrage on Mississippi State. Five of Butler’s final eight first-half field goals came from behind the arc. Butler shot 7-for-11 from 3 with five Bulldogs hitting a 3-pointer in the first half. Telfort and Kolby King each hit two.
Butler finished 12-for-22 (55%) from 3.
Butler had particular success driving into the paint and dishing to the corner and left wing for 3-point shots. King hit corner 3s on consecutive possessions in the first half. Brooks, Landon Moore and Telfort all hit triples from the same spot on the left wing. At one point in the first half, five of Butler’s six field goal came off 3-pointers.
Great shooting from behind the arc coupled with good shooting from the free throw line (19-for-27, 70%) is usually the recipe for a win.
Landon Moore has best game of the season
With Finley Bizjack taking over the point guard duties, and freshman Evan Haywood looking like a reliable option at guard, one had to wonder if Landon Moore would be squeezed out of the rotation. Against Mississippi State, Moore showed he’s still a capable role player, putting together his best game of the season.
Moore scored seven of his 13 points in the first half. Despite struggling with his shot all season, Moore looked confident from deep. He dished out two assists and most importantly, he committed just one turnover, something that has plagued him all season.
Moore added multiple strong finishes inside in the second half and shot a strong 6-for-7 from the free throw line. In Moore, King and Andre Screen, Butler has the depth to withstand off nights for any of its starters. Any of the three are capable of scoring double figures off the bench, and all of them have embraced their responsibilities on defense as well.
Mississippi
Mississippi College Baseball Wins Series vs. West Florida for First Time
Mississippi College baseball has won the series against West Florida for the first time ever
The Choctaws have been playing UWF since 2015
MC won the first two games and put on a bit of a comeback in game 3
Next: GSC at Delta St., then Conference Tournament
Mississippi
George County High School senior killed in Highway 26 crash, MHP says
GEORGE COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) — A George County High School senior is dead after an SUV hit him while bicycling on Highway 26 Friday night.
Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) officials said at 8:15 p.m. the MHP responded to a fatal crash on Highway 26 in George County.
Those officials said a Ford SUV traveling west on Highway 26 collided with 18-year-old Tyree Bradley of McLain, Mississippi, who was bicycling.
Bradley was fatally injured and died at the scene, MHP officials said.
The crash remains under investigation by the MHP.
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Mississippi
Mississippi State Drops Series Opener at Texas A&M Despite Late Chances
Some losses feel like they drag on longer than the box score suggests, and Mississippi State’s 3-1 opener at Texas A&M fits that category.
It wasn’t a blowout. It wasn’t a game where the Bulldogs looked outmatched.
It was just one of those nights where the early mistakes stuck around and the offense never quite found the swing that could shake them loose.
The frustrating part is how quickly the hole formed. Two solo homers and a wild pitch in the first two innings put Mississippi State behind 3-0, and that was basically the ballgame.
Against a top tier SEC team on the road, spotting three runs that early is a tough ask. The Bulldogs didn’t fold, but they also didn’t cash in when the door cracked open.
“I liked our fight. I think we’re really just working through some things offensively, and trying to stay together,” Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. “This team still believes, and we’re going to battle and fight every chance we get, and I think I saw a lot of that. I’m encouraged for what that means for us moving forward, but, you know, they’re a good hitting team, and we’ve got to be able to shut them down early. I don’t think Peja [Goold] had her best stuff, but she continued to battle out there and find ways to get outs.”
They had chances. Two runners stranded in the fifth. Two more in the sixth. Another in the seventh. Des Rivera finally got the Bulldogs on the board with an RBI single, but the big hit that usually shows up for this lineup never arrived.
It wasn’t a lack of traffic. It was a lack of finish.
If there was a bright spot, it came from the bullpen. Delainey Everett gave Mississippi State exactly what it needed after the rocky start.
“That was just a huge relief appearance by Delaney to keep us in it,” Ricketts said. “It’s really good to have her back and healthy these last few weeks because these are the moments where we really need her and rely on her. We know that she’s going to be a big part of the remainder of the season going forward as well.”
Three hitless innings, one baserunner, and a reminder that she’s quietly putting together a strong stretch.
There were individual positives too. Nadia Barbary keeps climbing the doubles list. Kiarra Sells keeps finding ways on base.
But the bigger picture is simple. Mississippi State is now 6-10 in the SEC, and the margin for error is shrinking. Nights like this one are the difference between climbing back into the race and staying stuck in the middle.
They get another shot this morning with the schedule bumped up for weather. The formula isn’t complicated.
Clean up the early innings, keep getting quality relief, and find one or two timely swings. The Bulldogs didn’t get them Friday. They’ll need them today.
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