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SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — For 20 minutes, the Runnin' Utes were the best team on the court.
In a neutral site game against a Mississippi State team just outside the Associated Press Top 25 rankings, Utah controlled an 11-point lead at halftime after a balanced shooting effort, mixed with a physical and well-executed defensive game plan to limit the Bulldogs.
It all worked as Utah held Mississippi State to one field goal in the team's last 17 attempts and a 23% shooting percentage from the field in the first half.
But Mississippi State's Josh Hubbard got hot and quickly scored 8 points to rally his team to a 1-point deficit and a shift in momentum at the first media timeout. Eventually, the Bulldogs built up a team-high 6-point lead on a 12-2 run over a five-minute stretch before the Utes answered back.
Utah turned it into a back-and-forth affair down the stretch, but foul trouble limited the Runnin' Utes' ability to contend with Mississippi State's physical play, and the Bulldogs pulled away in the final minute to secure a 78-73 win.
Hubbard led all scores with 23 points, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range, to turn the tide for a Mississippi State (4-0) team that shot an improved 50% from the field in the second half.
KeShawn Murphy added 18 points and 14 rebounds in the win for the Bulldogs, who outrebounded the Utes 45-41 for the game.
Ezra Ausar, who helped Utah (3-1) to 30 points in the paint, finished with a team-high 15 points, four rebounds and two assists in the loss. Mason Madsen added 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and five rebounds.
Gabe Madsen, who has led Utah in scoring through the first three games of the season, had a tough shooting day and didn't make his first 3-pointer of the game until the final minutes after 10 shot attempts.
In the loss, Utah had three players foul out — including Ausar, Keanu Dawes and Mike Sharavjamts — and had 11 more fouls in the game than Mississippi State. The Bulldogs then went to the free-throw line and converted at a 73% rate to maintain the advantage.
