RJ Melendez scored 18 points, Josh Hubbard added 16 and No. 25 Mississippi State held off McNeese 66-63 on Saturday in Tupelo, Miss.The Bulldogs (9-1) overcame a sluggish first half offensively and outscored McNeese 37-34 in the second half.Joe Charles scored 19, Sincere Parker had 16 and Javohn Garcia and Brandon Murray added 10 each for the Cowboys (5-5).The score was tied twice early in the second half before Hubbard scored four straight points to help the Bulldogs take a 39-34 lead. The Cowboys scored six straight points to take a one-point lead before the lead changed hands three times and the score was tied at 43.Charles scored five points and Murray made a layup to give McNeese a 50-43 lead. Tied at 55, Parker’s 3-pointer put the Cowboys back on top.Melendez scored three points during a 9-0 run that gave the Bulldogs a 64-58 lead. Parker made a 3-pointer to cut the lead in half with 1:58 remaining an McNeese had two chances to tie, but Garcia missed a jumper and Christian Shumate missed a 3-pointer. Melendez made two free throws with nine seconds left before Murray’s basket beat the buzzer.