STARKVILLE, Miss. — D.J. Stewart Jr. scored a career-high 23 points with five 3-pointers and coach Ben Howland secured his 500th career win and Mississippi State beat Texas State 68-51 on Monday night.
Howland, in his sixth year at Mississippi State, has grabbed 99 of those wins with the Bulldogs. He's led Mississippi State to 20-plus wins in each of the last three seasons.
Howland's career stints also have included, Northern Arizona, Pittsburgh and UCLA.
Alonzo Sule's basket with 18:41 left brought the Bobcats into a 26-all tie. The Bulldogs (1-2) proceeded to outscore Texas State (2-1) by a 24-6 margin over the next eight minutes to put the game away.
Mississippi State used its size to amass a 46-27 rebound advantage. The Bulldogs shot 25 of 58 (43.1%), which included 9 of 23 from 3-point range.
Mason Harrell scored 15 points for Texas State and Caleb Asberry 10.
The game was the first between the two schools. The Bulldogs now have a 65-12 overall record against current Sun Belt opponents.
Mississippi State has a 68-19 home record, and is 38-4 in non-conference home games under Howland.
