Ravern Johnson came alive in the second half Friday night, scoring 23 of his 30 points, as Mississippi State pulled away from a surprising Tennessee State squad for a 75-65 home victory in the first all-time meeting between the schools.

Kodi Augustus added 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Bulldogs (1-0), who were 24-12 last season and won their fifth SEC West title in 12 years under coach Rick Stansbury.

Johnson took over the offense from departed stars Jarvis Vanardo and Barry Stewart, connecting on 5-of-9 from the arc and 11-of-12 from the line. He was just 2-of-8 inside the arc.

Kenny Moore had 13 points and seven rebounds for Tennessee State (0-1), which was 9-23 last season.

Robert Covington scored 11 points and Tennessee State committed just three first-half turnovers to forge a 31-31 tie at the break.