Mississippi State overcame a cold finish to the first half, and pulled away to defeat Alabama State 67-46 Tuesday in Starkville, Miss., without leading scorer Ravern Johnson.

The Bulldogs (7-2), playing their fourth game in four days, won their third straight after losing Saturday to East Tennessee State

Johnson, who ranks eighth in the nation in scoring at 23.8 points per game, was suspended for violating the school’s class attendance policy, according to a university spokesman.

The Bulldogs went scoreless for more than six minutes late in the first half, and Alabama State (1-8) took a 28-26 lead at halftime. But the Bulldogs dominated the second half, and put together a 17-2 run to build a 49-33 lead on Brian Bryant’s basket with 8:03 remaining.

Elgin Bailey led a balanced Mississippi State attack with 13 points, while Riley Benock and Bryant scored 11 points apiece.

Kenderek Washington led the Hornets with nine points as Mississippi State held Alabama State to 29 percent shooting.

The Bulldogs take three days off before playing Virginia Tech on Saturday at the Battle at Atlantis in the Bahamas.