Mississippi
Melendez makes 2 late free throws, No. 25 Mississippi State beats McNeese State 66-63
TUPELO, Miss. — RJ Melendez had a season-high 18 points and Josh Hubbard added 16 to lead No. 25 Mississippi State to a 66-63 win over McNeese State in a neutral-site game on Saturday.
Melendez made two free throws with nine seconds remaining in regulation to give Mississippi State (9-1) a 66-61 lead that it held on to.
Joe Charles led McNeese State (5-5) with 19 points while Sincere Parker finished with 16. Javohn Garcia and Brandon Murray each added 10 points for the Cowboys.
Both teams struggled offensively in the first half. McNeese State initially found more success and took a 24-16 lead after a Charles 3-pointer with 3:42 left in the half. But thanks to a pair of 3-pointers from both Hubbard and Claudell Harris, the Bulldogs closed the half on a 13-5 run and it was tied at 29 at halftime.
Takeaways
McNeese State: With the loss, the Cowboys now have more losses (5) this season than they had all of last season. McNeese State finished 30-4 a year ago in its first season under head coach Will Wade.
Mississippi State: For the second straight game, Mississippi State survived a lackluster showing. The Bulldogs barely escaped Prairie View A&M in a 91-84 win on Sunday.
Key moment
The Bulldogs trailed 58-55 with 5:29 left in the second half but used a 7-0 run to grab the lead for good.
Mississippi State forward RJ Melendez (22) brings the ball up court as McNeese State guard Javohn Garcia (6) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Tupelo, Miss., Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. Credit: AP/Bruce Newman
Key stat
The Bulldogs outscored McNeese State 20-5 in points off turnovers.
Up next
McNeese State travels to Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday, Dec. 22, and Mississippi State faces Central Michigan on Tuesday in Jackson, Mississippi.
Mississippi
Mississippi lawmakers face pressure to counter looming federal cuts to health care after punting this session
Wicker: Mississippi powered Artemis II
Published 4:00 pm Monday, April 20, 2026
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.
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.
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