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12/13 23:23 CST McGhee scores career-high 29, Mississippi St. rallies from 17 down, beats Utah 82-74 McGhee scores career-high 29, Mississippi St. rallies from 17 down, beats Utah 82-74 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) --- Ja'Borri McGhee scored a career-high 29 points, Jayden Epps added 20 points, and Mississippi State rallied to beat Utah 82-74 on Saturday night. The Bulldogs rallied from a 17-point deficit, their largest comeback since coach Chris Jans was hired prior to the 2022-23 season. McGhee, a UAB transfer, made 11 of 16 from the field, 5 of 7 from 3-point range. Josh Hubbard scored 13 points for Mississippi State (5-5). McGhee hit a step-back 3-pointer and then made a layup that gave the Bulldogs a 74-70 lead with 2 1/2 minutes to play. Terrence Brown made two free throws to make it a one-possession game, but Josh Hubbard driving floater about a minute later. After a Utah turnover, Shawn Jones Jr. threw down a monstrous two-hand dunk to make it 78-72 with 59 seconds remaining. Don McHenry led Utah (7-4) with 29 points, which included five 3-pointers, and Brown finished with 22. McHenry scored all of Utah's points in an 11-3 run and Utah led by as many as 17 late in the first half. The Utes took a 52-37 lead three minutes into the second after Brown's steal and fast-break dunk, but the Bulldogs scored 23 of the next 27 points to take a four-point lead --- their first since 2-1 --- with 9:24 to play. Mississippi State freshman Jamarion Davis-Fleming left the game in the closing seconds after a collision with Utah's Seydou Traore.

Up next Mississippi State: The Bulldogs host Long Island University on Tuesday. Utah: The Utes take on Eastern Washington at home next Saturday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

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