Mississippi State Emerge as Winners Against Rutgers Thanks to Rebound Ability

Jimmy Bell Jr. scored 17 points and achieved a career-high 18 rebounds, while Cameron Matthews contributed 18 points and 11 rebounds, enabling Mississippi State to dominate Rutgers in a 70-60 triumph on Saturday afternoon in Newark, N.J.

Dashawn Davis provided 13 points and six assists for Mississippi State (10-2) as the Bulldogs secured their fourth consecutive victory. Matthews accumulated 14 of his points in the latter half, during which Mississippi State recorded a 46.4 percent shooting rate (13-for-28), allowing them to distance themselves from their opponents.

Mississippi State outperformed Rutgers in rebounding, securing a 47-26 advantage. Rutgers (7-4) experienced a decline to a 35.5 percent shooting rate in the second half, with an overall rate of 37.1 percent.

Aundre Hyatt led the Scarlet Knights with 18 points and six rebounds, but they were unable to secure a significant nonconference victory at a supposedly neutral venue where the audience demonstrated a strong allegiance towards Rutgers.

Bell made it 12-9 in favor of Mississippi State with a jumper, but the Bulldogs went through a phase of 8 minutes and 20 seconds without securing a field goal, missing 11 consecutive attempts during that period.

Rutgers, however, was unable to fully capitalize on this, only surging ahead to a 20-15 lead, courtesy of five points by Gavin Griffiths. D.J. Jeffries concluded Mississippi State’s dry spell with a 3-pointer at the 7:38 mark, spurring a 10-0 streak, while Rutgers endured a scoreless run lasting 5 minutes and 42 seconds.

The Bulldogs held three five-point leads before Rutgers staged a comeback. Hyatt robbed Josh Hubbard of the ball, controlled it, and executed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, tying the game at 29 as the teams entered halftime.Mississippi State found their rhythm in the second half, anchoring their offense around Bell and Matthews.

Clifford Omoruyi, the starting center for Rutgers, incurred his third and fourth fouls within the initial four minutes of the half and was substituted, allowing the Bulldogs to dominate the interior of the court.

They accrued seven consecutive points, establishing a 49-37 lead, prior to Hyatt contributing four points for Rutgers, including a fastbreak 3-pointer that terminated a 4-minute and 53-second field-goal drought.

However, Shakeel Moore (10 points) responded with a 3-pointer of his own, and Matthews executed an alley-oop slam.The Bulldogs held a maximum lead of 60-45, and Rutgers failed to bridge the gap to fewer than nine points for the remainder of the game. Omoruyi eventually fouled out, concluding with a meager three points and no rebounds, marking his season-low performance.

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    WCC to Add Grand Canyon and Seattle in 2025

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    Seattle and Grand Canyon will be leaving the Western Athletic Conference and moving to the West Coast Conference starting July 2025.

    The nine current members of the conference are private universities with a religious affiliation. Seattle is a Jesuit institution, while Grand Canyon, situated in Phoenix, is a Christian college.

    Grand Canyon’s basketball achievements were a significant factor in attracting WCC commissioner Stu Jackson. The team has participated in the last two NCAA Tournaments and three of the previous four under the leadership of coach Bryce Drew.

    As the 12th-seeded Antelopes defeated fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s before losing to Alabama in the tournament this season.

    Saint Mary’s is currently a member of the West Coast Conference.

    The WCC, while also integrating Oregon State and Washington State this autumn (excluding football), will expand from 11 to 13 members by the 2025-26 season.

    The future beyond 2026 looks uncertain, with Oregon State and Washington State appearing unlikely to continue with the WCC.

    The former Pac-12 schools are under a two-year contract, expiring on June 30, 2026. Sources from CBS Sports suggest that the odds of the two Pacific Northwest institutions staying are slim, with a move to the Mountain West or a new conference formation being more probable.

    Following the departures of Sam Houston and New Mexico State last year, Seattle and Grand Canyon’s exit from the WAC will reduce the conference’s membership to just eight by July 2025.

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  2. College Sports News

    Ex-Cal State Fullerton G Max Jones Commits to Kansas State

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Former guard of Cal State Fullerton Max Jones has made a decision to join Kansas State for his upcoming collegiate season, according to reports.

    Notable alternatives that Jones purportedly pondered were New Mexico, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida Atlantic, and Loyola Chicago.

    During the previous season with the Titans, Jones maintained an average of 15.3 points and 3.0 rebounds across 24 games, in which he started 21. He secured the second-highest scoring position within the team, alongside being the second in 3-pointers with 42 baskets and 41 steals.

    In the season prior, Jones held an average of 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 32 games, amassing 34 three-pointers and 30 steals.

    Before making his way to Cal State Fullerton post the 2021-22 season, Jones spent two years at Division II Tampa, where he managed to achieve an average of 21.9 points across 21 games during his sophomore year with the Spartans.

    In the recent offseason, Kansas State acquired Dug McDaniel, a former player from Michigan recognized as one of the premier point guards available in this year’s transfer portal.

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  3. College Sports News

    Stanford Names Basketball Court in Honor of Tara VanDerveer

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    Tara VanDerveer’s legacy at Stanford will now be visibly acknowledged, with the school revealing on Thursday that the basketball arena’s floor will bear the name of the esteemed Hall of Fame coach.

    At the age of 70, VanDerveer stepped down following her 38th season at the helm of the Cardinal.

    She steered Stanford to 14 Final Fours and secured three national championships (1990, 1992, 2021). VanDerveer embarked on her coaching journey at Idaho (1978-80) and later coached at Ohio State (1980-85).

    In January, she surpassed Mike Krzyzewski to clinch the title of the most successful college basketball coach in history, across both men’s and women’s teams. VanDerveer concluded with a remarkable 1,216-271 record, boasting a 1,064-220 tally with the Cardinal.

    Alongside the unveiling of the Tara VanDerveer Court at Maples Pavilion this November, Stanford also established an endowed position in women’s basketball for an assistant coach in VanDerveer’s honor.

    VanDerveer said in a statement, “This endowment will go a long way to strengthening the future of Stanford women’s basketball. I have many wonderful memories of leading the women’s basketball program at Maples Pavilion.”

    “It’s an honor, and a little surreal, to know that my name will be linked to both in these ways, and I look forward to celebrating with all our fans this fall.”

    Last month, Stanford appointed Kate Paye, one of VanDerveer’s longtime assistant coaches who played for the Cardinal from 1991-95 and began coaching under VanDerveer in 2007, as the new head coach.

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