UTM turned in a stellar effort against Mississippi State Saturday night in Starkville, but the effort wasn't enough to overcome the size factor of the host Bulldogs.

Mississippi State claimed a 90-74 men's basketball win. The Bulldogs are 1-0 on the year after the win.

"I am very proud of our effort," said UTM head coach Bret Campbell.

"I don't think the score is indicative of the game we played. It should have been an eight-point game."

The Skyhawks trailed by as many as six points in the first half and even enjoyed a three-point lead in the first 20 minutes of the game. Mississippi State picked up its defensive intensity with a minute to play in the first half and forged ahead 43-36 at the break.

"They had one spurt right before the half that gave them the momentum, and I thought that made a big difference," Campbell said.

Of course, the host Bulldogs had a couple of more spurts in the second half en route to the win.

UTM junior college transfer Justin Smith kept the Bulldogs honest early in the second half as he rattled off eight consecutive points.

The size factor caught up with the Skyhawks late in the game. Mississippi State used its size to win the battle of the boards, 47-32.

"It doesn't matter who we play. We cannot get beat on the boards like we did tonight," Campbell said.

State's size also showed up in the scoring column as the Bulldogs scored 60 of their 90 points inside the paint.

Junior Lawrence Roberts, a 6-9, 235-pound forward from Houston, Texas, led the Bulldogs' effort with 26 points and 15 rebounds. Roberts transferred from Baylor University to Mississippi State. Senior Timmy Bowers, just 6-2, added 17 points for the Bulldogs.

"It was disappointing to let them shoot 60 percent from the field in the second half, but at the same time, it was encouraging for us to finally beat someone at the free throw line," Campbell said.

The Skyhawks were led by Smith with 26 points and junior Tyler George with 10 points.

The Skyhawks hit 16-of-17 free throws for 94 percent, while the Bulldogs hit 69 percent from the charity stripe.

Another encouraging stat for the Skyhawks was in the turnover column. Mississippi State committed 21 turnovers, while the Skyhawks turned the ball over 15 times.