Bulldogs see season end with loss to the Panthers

DAYTON, Ohio – Shakeel Moore made the first 3-point field goal of the game for the Mississippi State Bulldogs in their First Four matchup against the Pittsburgh Panthers in the NCAA Tournament.

He had another opportunity with the game on the line late, but it fell off the mark.

Moore's miss and a tip by D.J. Jeffries was also off the target and the Bulldogs lost a 6059 decision to Pittsburgh.

The Panthers had a late second-half surge and Blake Henson hit a 30-foot 3-point shot to help establish a lead, but a 3-pointer by Jefferies got MSU to within 58-57 and a basket by Tolu Smith gave it a 59-58 lead. Those scores were a part of a 7-0 run by the Bulldogs.

Jamarius Burton made a goahead jumper with 10 seconds for Pitt in a back-and-forth game that featured 21 lead changes — most in the NCAA Tournament in five years.

It was a good start for the Bulldogs as Moore hit a 3-pointer to begin the scoring, then Smith had a layup to put MSU up 5-0.

The Bulldogs had three successful 3-pointers as it took an early six-point lead.

MSU suffered through a 5-minute stretch where they didn't score which made it a close game in the first half.

It was a 3-point fest in the first half as there were 13 shots from 3-point range between the two teams and the Panthers were able to take a one-point lead at halftime 35-34.

Dashawn Davis led the Bulldogs with 15 points, while Smith added 13 points. Jeffries paced the rebounding effort for State with 13.

The Bulldogs saw their season end with a 21-13 record, while the Panthers (23-11) won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2014. They slotted into the Midwest Region as the 11th seed and advanced to face No. 6 Iowa State on Friday in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Mississippi State’s Shakeel Moore (3) tries to shoot the basketball against Pittsburgh’s Guillermo Diaz Graham (25) during the first half of a First Four game in the NCAA Tournament in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by Darron Cummings, AP)