Mississippi State basketball defeats Bethune-Cookman in Tolu Smith’s strong debut
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State basketball secured a win over Bethune-Cookman to conclude its nonconference slate on Sunday.
But the real storyline for the Bulldogs wasn't the scoreboard, which read 85-62 in MSU's favor. It was the return of star big man Tolu Smith, who appeared in his first game of the season after suffering an offseason injury.
Smith played 19 minutes for the Bulldogs (11-2) against the Wildcats (5-8). He went a perfect 5-for-5 from the field on his way to 16 points. He was a force on the boards, too, finishing with a game-high nine rebounds.
Mississippi State established its dominance from the start, carrying a 41-22 lead into halftime that allowed the Bulldogs to coast to the win.
It was an efficient shooting performance from MSU, which cashed in on 12 of 27 3-pointers and shot 53% from the field overall.
Dashawn Davis supplemented Smith's scoring with a 12-point effort. Shakeel Moore and Josh Hubbard also scored in double figures.
Mississippi State begins conference play next week when it travels to South Carolina on Saturday (11 a.m. CT, CBS).
Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Tolu Smith returns as Mississippi State basketball beats Bethune-Cookman
