Uncasville, Conn. - Mississippi State freshman Josh Hubbard continued a hot start to his college career, leading the Bulldogs with 29 points in Sunday's 66-57 win over Northwestern to win the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off.

The 5-foot-10 point guard ignited a Mississippi State offense that got off to a cold start. The Bulldogs trailed 11-0 to begin the game, committing nine turnovers in the first ten minutes of play. When the freshman got going, it seemed like everything was going through the net as his 16 first half points and three triples, including one with two seconds left in the half, cut the Northwestern lead to 29-27 at the break.

Defensively, Mississippi State continued to impose its will on its competition and held Northwestern to 37.5% shooting. The Wildcats' leading scorer Boo Buie, who was averaging nearly 20 points per game entering the contest, scored just nine on 4/14 from the floor.

D.J. Jeffries put in the dirty work on the glass with ten rebounds, while Cameron Matthews hauled in eight despite a quiet offensive showing. The Bulldogs outrebounded the Wildcats 35-23, and brought down seven on the offensive side.

Mississippi State's back court has carried the load with All-SEC center Tolu Smith sidelined, Graduate Dashawn Davis scored 11 and rained in 3/4 three-point attempts while senior Shakeel Moore scored eight, including the go ahead dunk midway through the second half.

Hubbard stayed hot in the second half with 13 more points. He finished the game making 7/7 free throws and 4/8 three-point attempts. His scoring came in a variety of ways with some tough finishes inside, some mid range pullups,, and some catch-and-shoot threes.

The Bulldogs move to 5-0 on the season with three wins against Power Six opponents. They've covered the point spread in all six contests and currently rank as the #17 team in the country according to KenPom. They'll be back in action in Humphrey Coliseum on Friday against Nicholls State.