Mississippi State Bulldogs at Tulane Green Wave
· Myrtle Beach Invitational
80 - 66
Molinar scores 21, Mississippi State beats Tulane 80-66
Tyson Carter added 16 points and 11 rebounds, Reggie Perry scored 18 points, and the Bulldogs (5-0) shot 61% overall and made 13 of 19 shots in the second half.
"We've got guys who are capable of shooting," Carter said, "and tonight was just a good night for Iverson and Reggie Perry."
Mississippi State never trailed, established a 41-16 rebounding advantage, led by 25 and withstood a late rally to earn a matchup with No. 17 Villanova on Friday in one semifinal.
"As long as I've been coaching, I've never been in a situation where the rebound situation was what it was," Tulane coach Ron Hunter said. "We were absolutely dominated. ... You just aren't going to win many games that way. ... It's just, we had a lot missed shots."
Christion Thompson and K.J. Lawson each scored 12 points and Jordan Walker finished with 11 for the Green Wave (3-1) in their first loss under Hunter. Tulane used a late 16-5 run and pulled to 75-61 on Lawson's layup with just under 3 minutes left. D.J. Stewart countered with a three-point play with 2:17 to play to put Mississippi State back up by 17.
BIG PICTURE
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs, who are receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25, couldn't afford a loss in their Myrtle Beach opener if they wanted to crack the national rankings for the second straight season. After picking up wins against five mid-major programs, they get their first real test of the young season when they face the Wildcats. "We're going to have to man up tomorrow because we're going to see intense man-to-man pressure right in your grill," coach Ben Howland said.
UP NEXT
Mississippi State: Plays No. 17 Villanova on Friday in one semifinal.
Tulane: Faces Middle Tennessee on Friday in a consolation game.
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How can I watch Mississippi State vs. Tulane?
Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 80 - 66 |
| 2nd 0:00 | End of 2nd half | 80 - 66 |
| 2nd 0:24 | Robert Woodard II Defensive Rebound. | 80 - 66 |
| 2nd 0:32 | Ray Ona Embo missed Layup. | 80 - 66 |
| 2nd 0:38 | K.J. Lawson Steal. | 80 - 66 |
Statistics
 MSST |
 TULN |
|
|---|---|---|
| 26-43 | FG | 23-59 |
| 60 | Field Goal % | 39 |
| 11-20 | 3PT | 9-25 |
| 55 | Three Point % | 36 |
| 17-21 | FT | 11-12 |
| 81 | Free Throw % | 92 |
| 41 | Rebounds | 16 |
| 10 | Offensive Rebounds | 6 |
| 31 | Defensive Rebounds | 10 |
| 19 | Assists | 13 |
| 6 | Steals | 14 |
| 3 | Blocks | 1 |
| 25 | Turnovers | 11 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 25 | Total Turnovers | 11 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 14 | Points Off Turnovers | 22 |
| 18 | Fast Break Points | 8 |
| 28 | Points in Paint | 26 |
| 15 | Fouls | 14 |
| 25 | Largest Lead | 0 |
Game Information
Location: Conway, SC
Capacity:
2025-26 Southeastern Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 16-2 | - | 27-8 |
| Arkansas | 13-5 | 3 | 28-9 |
| Alabama | 13-5 | 3 | 25-10 |
| Vanderbilt | 11-7 | 5 | 27-9 |
| Tennessee | 11-7 | 5 | 25-12 |
| Texas A&M | 11-7 | 5 | 22-12 |
| Georgia | 10-8 | 6 | 22-11 |
| Kentucky | 10-8 | 6 | 22-14 |
| Missouri | 10-8 | 6 | 20-13 |
| Texas | 9-9 | 7 | 21-15 |
| Auburn | 7-11 | 9 | 22-16 |
| Oklahoma | 7-11 | 9 | 21-16 |
| Mississippi State | 5-13 | 11 | 13-19 |
| Ole Miss | 4-14 | 12 | 15-20 |
| South Carolina | 4-14 | 12 | 13-19 |
| LSU | 3-15 | 13 | 15-17 |
2025-26 American Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Florida | 15-3 | - | 25-9 |
| Tulsa | 13-5 | 2 | 30-8 |
| Wichita State | 13-5 | 2 | 24-12 |
| UAB | 11-7 | 4 | 20-12 |
| North Texas | 9-9 | 6 | 19-14 |
| Florida Atlantic | 9-9 | 6 | 18-15 |
| Charlotte | 9-9 | 6 | 17-17 |
| Tulane | 8-10 | 7 | 18-15 |
| Temple | 8-10 | 7 | 16-16 |
| Memphis | 8-10 | 7 | 13-19 |
| Rice | 7-11 | 8 | 13-18 |
| East Carolina | 6-12 | 9 | 11-20 |
| UTSA | 1-17 | 14 | 5-25 |