Mississippi State 58, Virginia Commonwealth 51--The Bulldogs’...

Mississippi State 58, Virginia Commonwealth 51--The Bulldogs’ shooting was bound to get better, but not by much.

Darryl Wilson scored 15 points as the Bulldogs (23-7) survived a miserable shooting slump and beat the Rams (24-9).

Mississippi State’s saving grace was its defense, which forced the Rams to shoot even worse (31%). The victory sent the fifth-seeded Bulldogs into Saturday’s second round against Princeton.

Bernard Hopkins led Virginia Commonwealth with 22 points and 11 rebounds.