Senior forward Gavin Ware contributed 22 points and 10 rebounds and Mississippi State pulled away in the second half to post a 76-51 victory over Tennessee-Martin in nonconference play at Starkville, Miss.

Freshman guard Quinndary Weatherspoon added 16 points on 6-of-6 shooting for the Bulldogs (3-3). Ware scored eight points during Mississippi State's 18-0 second-half run that turned a 3-point advantage into a 56-35 lead with under nine minutes to play.

Sophomore guard Richard Lee and senior forward Myles Taylor scored 11 points apiece for the Skyhawks (2-5). Senior forward Twymond Howard added 10 points for UT Martin, which was outrebounded 43-27.

Mississippi State led 36-29 at halftime before the Skyhawks scored six of the first eight points of the second half. Junior forward Chandler Rowe hit a jumper with 15:56 remaining and UT Martin then missed its next 10 shots and went scoreless for a stretch of 8:15.

Ware hit two free throws to begin Mississippi State's decisive burst and later added three baskets. The final one gave the Bulldogs the 21-point lead before a putback by Taylor ended the surge with 7:41 remaining and the lead eventually topped out at 25 points.

Mississippi State led by nine with 6:21 left in the first half before the Skyhawks pulled within four on Lee's 3-pointer with 3:34 remaining. The Bulldogs pushed the advantage up to seven at the break despite going 2-of-10 from 3-point range over the 20 minutes.