Starkville, MS (SportsNetwork.com) - Gavin Ware tallied 14 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks to lead the Mississippi State Bulldogs to a 66-56 victory over the Western Carolina Catamounts in the season opener for both teams at Humphrey Coliseum.

Roquez Johnson poured in a team-high 16 points for Mississippi State (1-0). Fred Thomas registered 15 points and six rebounds, while Trivante Bloodman scored seven points and dished out six assists.

For WCU (0-1), James Sinclair led all scorers with 20 points on 7-of-14 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. Rhett Harrelson and Mike Brown contributed 14 and 11 points, respectively.

Mississippi State outshot WCU from the field in the first half, 52.4 percent to 40.7 percent, but it took just a one-point lead into intermission, 31-30. The Bulldogs were plagued by 12 first-half turnovers.

The Bulldogs never surrendered the lead in the second half, and they used a 7-0 spurt late in the game to pull away.

Mississippi State had a busy and efficient night at the free-throw line (28- of-37), while the Catamounts were just 5-of-10 from the stripe.