Mississippi

Inside the 5 plays that helped Mississippi State basketball hold off Georgia’s 2nd-half surge

Published

1 year ago

February 9, 2025

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_.

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Mississippi

NCAA appeals to Mississippi Supreme Court, seeking to bar Trinidad Chambliss from playing in 2026

Published

4 hours ago

March 9, 2026

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NCAA appeals to Mississippi Supreme Court, seeking to bar Trinidad Chambliss from playing in 2026

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The NCAA has filed an appeal in the eligibility case of Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.

In the appeal, filed Thursday with the Mississippi Supreme Court, the NCAA argues that Chambliss has “exhausted his eligibility” to play Division I football because he has already played four seasons in a five-year period, the maximum allowed under NCAA rules.

A Mississippi judge last month granted Chambliss a preliminary injunction against college athletics’ governing body, giving him an extra year of eligibility that would allow him to play in 2026. The NCAA had previously denied Chambliss’ request for a waiver.

Chambliss began his college career at Ferris State in 2021, redshirted his first season and did not play in 2022 because of medical issues. He played two more seasons at the Division II school in Michigan, leading the Bulldogs to a national championship before transferring to Ole Miss before the start of last season.

The 23-year-old Chambliss led the Rebels to the College Football Playoff semifinals.

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Vicksburg soccer star Amari Johnson signs with East Mississippi CC

Published

16 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Vicksburg soccer star Amari Johnson signs with East Mississippi CC

“I’m proud of myself for the work I’ve put in. A lot of people say they want to do stuff but they don’t work on it, so I’m proud that I stuck to stuff like practicing at home. Even when I didn’t want to go to practice I went,” Johnson said. “This year since I was a captain I had to show my leadership skills and step up, especially with our shortage of players. Not every year is the best but you’ve got to make the best of what you’ve got and I’m proud that I’ve been able to adapt to the changes.”

Johnson joined a growing pipeline of Warren County players who are headed to East Mississippi. She’s the fourth player from the county to sign there in the past two years. Johnson said another Vicksburg native is to credit for that.

Ryan Theriot, a former St. Aloysius star, is an assistant coach at East Mississippi. He’s mined his hometown for talent, including recruiting Johnson.

“The assistant coach, Ryan (Theriot), is from Vicksburg so he saw me. He emailed me asking if I was interested in playing soccer, so I said yes, if I get the opportunity I would be happy to,” Johnson said. “It’s very surreal, because honestly I did not think I would be playing soccer at this level. It’s hard to get looked at for soccer, especially in Vicksburg. Sometimes Vicksburg gets overlooked.”

During her high school career Johnson has played nearly every position on the field at one time or another, including keeper. She wasn’t sure where she’d play at East Mississippi, and doesn’t really care as long as she’s in the lineup.

“One time I had to play striker, and the next midfield. One time I had to go to defense. It was stressful. But then I’m kind of happy because when I get to college we’ll have other people to play all these positions. It was good for me to be versatile,” Johnson said. “If I have to change positions to play I definitely will, because I do want to start by the end of my freshman year.”

More than anything, she just wants to play and continue to leave her mark.

“I’m really excited to play at this next level so I can tell my kids I played soccer in college,” Johnson said. “I just want to thank my teammates from soccer, softball and volleyball, my coaches, and my mom and grandmom. I love all of y’all very much.”

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Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for March 7, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 8, 2026

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Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for March 7, 2026

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 7, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from March 7 drawing

08-11-15-23-24

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from March 7 drawing

Midday: 9-6-4, FB: 4

Evening: 4-5-1, FB: 0

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from March 7 drawing

Midday: 4-3-0-7, FB: 4

Evening: 2-2-0-8, FB: 0

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from March 7 drawing

Midday: 06

Evening: 09

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Story continues below gallery.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.

Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:

Mississippi Lottery Corporation

P.O. Box 321462

Flowood, MS

39232

If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.

Mississippi Lottery Headquarters

1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.

When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?

Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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