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STARKVILLE, Mississippi (Ticker) -- Mississippi State will look for its second straight win after a shocking opening-game defeat when it hosts Jacksonville on Saturday.

No. 23 Mississippi State, which dropped its first contest last Saturday to Louisiana-Lafayette, bounced back with an 81-65 victory over McNeese State on Tuesday. Timmy Bowers scored 19 points to lead the Bulldogs in the win.

Mississippi State is on a six-game homestand to start the season. The Bulldogs will not leave Starkville until a December 14 game against Xavier in New York and will not play a road game until December 30 at South Alabama.

The Bulldogs have won both of their previous meetings with the Dolphins, but the schools have not met since December 14, 1991.

Mississippi State is 45-14 in non-conference games under Rick Stansbury and 49-12 in home games under the fifth-year coach.

Bowers scored 22 points in the Bulldogs' opener. Derrick Zimmerman and Michal Ignerski have also scored in double figures in both of Mississippi State's games.

Jacksonville won its first road game of the season on Wednesday at Savannah State, 60-47. The Dolphins have not allowed more than 68 points in any of their four games.

Senior guard Kevin Sheppard, who scored 18 points to lead Jacksonville against Savannah State, is averaging 17.3 points per game.