STARKVILLE (AP) — Avery Johnson Jr. and Dazon Ingram each scored 13 points to lead Alabama to a 68-58 win over Mississippi State in their Southeastern Conference opener on Tuesday night.

Riley Norris added 11 points and Alabama (8-5) out-rebounded MSU 43-26.

Mario Kegler scored 12 points and Tyson Carter added 10 for Mississippi State (9-4).

“It was a little bit of a roller-coaster game for us but we will take it,” said Alabama coach Avery Johnson. “We got off to a slow start but found a rhythm around the 15-minute mark of the first half. We just locked in, defensively, and that was fun to watch.”

Trailing by 12 at halftime, Mississippi State opened the second half on an 8-0 run and tied it at 44 with 9:30 left. Alabama then went on a 9-2 run and the Bulldogs got no closer than six the rest of the way.

“That was a tough loss and a tough way to start out the conference season,” Mississippi State coach Ben Howland said. “In the first half we took 28 shots and 14 of them were 3-pointers. We were way too anxious and we don’t understand how we have to play, offensively, as a team.”

The Bulldogs jumped to a 9-3 advantage as Alabama missed its first six shot attempts, but the Crimson Tide scored 11 straight and led 22-13 midway through the first half. Alabama led by as many as 13 and held a 32-20 halftime advantage.

MSU shot 25 percent in the first half and was 1-of-14 from 3-point range.

“When we were up by eight at the beginning of the game, we took three really rushed shots,” Howland said. “That’s way too fast and we have to be smart on offense and limit that.”