Mississippi State beats Akron 73-54 in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tolu Smith had 26 points and eight rebounds, D.J. Jeffries added 15 points and Mississippi State beat Akron 73-54 at the Wells Fargo Center, home of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. Smith was 11 of 13 from the field and 4 of 6 at the stripe, nearly missing his career high of 27 points. Shakeel Moore had six points, six rebounds and four steals for Mississippi State, which was participating in the Barstool Invitational. Xavier Castaneda had 20 points and six assists for Akron. Enrique Freeman, the reigning MAC defensive play of the year, added nine points.