Louisiana Tech got in early foul trouble and never recovered as the Bulldogs fell 78-38 to No. 24 Mississippi State Saturday afternoon at Humphrey Coliseum.

Tech (1-2) committed 13 fouls in the first half and Mississippi State (5-1) took advantage, hitting 14-of-15 free throws in the period to build a 37-22 halftime lead.

The wheels then fell off for Louisiana Tech as Mississippi State opened the second half with a 20-0 run and never looked back.

"We couldn't make any shots to build some momentum," said Louisiana Tech head coach Keith Richard. "We needed some shot to go down and when they didn't, it just snowballed on us."

Tech went scoreless for the first 8:43 of the second half as MSU continued to build on its lead.

Louisiana Tech struggled offensively hitting only 12-of-52 from the field for just 23.1 percent, including just 3-of-17 from three-point range.

Louisiana Tech held Mississippi State to just 38.7 percent from the floor but MSU took advantage of Tech's foul trouble to make 25-of-33 free throws for the game.

Meanwhile, Mississippi State took control of the boards gaining a 56-29 rebounding advantage.

"I really feel that Mississippi State has a chance to be great," Richard said. "They are the best team I've played in a long time. I thought we competed well in the first half but their talent just outmanned us in the second half."

Antonio Meeking led Louisiana Tech with 11 points while Michal Ignerski topped Mississippi State with 17 points.

Louisiana Tech returns to action on Tuesday night when the Bulldogs travel to play Arkansas at 7 p.m. at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.