Arkansas led most of the game but did not when it counted most as Mississippi State hung around and capitalized at the end for a 78-75 win late Tuesday night in Starkville.
With 2 minutes and 16 seconds remaining, Arkansas had a 4-point lead on a put-back jumper from Daryl Macon, 73-69. But the Bulldogs battled back to take a 78-75 lead with a free throw by Quinndary Weatherspoon.
After Arkansas crossed half court and called timeout with 16 seconds left, Daryl Macon inbounded the ball and got it right back. He dribbled up top and put a move on MSU guard Xavian Stapleton that included a pump-fake and a side-step with the intent of drawing a foul. Some agree with the call, some do not, but it happened at a critical moment with 8 seconds remaining.
Nick Weatherspoon left the door open by leaving his two free throw short with 6 seconds left, but Anton Beard air-balled a long 3-pointer in an attempt to tie it and the Hogs fell on the road, 78-75.
Despite leading for 28 minutes and 44 seconds compared to 6 minutes and 9 seconds for Mississippi State, the Bulldogs never went away and Arkansas never led by more than 8 points. There was a dramatic difference in free throw attempts as Arkansas was just 5 of 12 (41.7 percent) and Mississippi State was 24 of 40 (60 percent). The Bulldogs shot 28 more free throws than Arkansas.
That was the big difference in the game because Arkansas was excellent from the floor in the second half, connecting on 20 of 31 attempts (64.5 percent). Arkansas actually made 7 more field goals, and that includes 2 more 3-point makes. Again, the difference was 19 more made free throws for the Bulldogs.
Arkansas tied MSU on the boards with 39, but they lost the turnover battle 13-9, and that is usually an area where they win. The result was 19 points off turnovers for State and only 9 for Arkansas.
Nick and Quinndary Weatherspoon each had 22 points for the Bulldogs. Daryl Macon led Arkansas with 24 points on 9 of 12 shooting. Daniel Gafford had 17 points on 8 of 11 shooting. Jaylen Barford never seemed to get comfortable as he forced a lot of shots. Despite his 4 of 15 shooting performance for 11 points (including 0 of 6 from beyond the arc), Barford had 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
SECOND HALF RUNDOWN
Macon scored the first 5 points, and Arkansas jumped out to an 8-0 run in going 3 of 3 from the floor in the second half. The Hogs took a 36-32 lead on a Beard 3-pointer before forcing a Mississippi State timeout with 17:45 to play in the game.
Gafford threw one down off a touch pass from Beard to put the Hogs up 40-36 at the first media timeout of the second half at the 15:40 mark when Nick Weatherspoon went down with a minor injury. He soon returned.
After it was tied 36-36 with 16:58 to go, Arkansas went on a 9-3 spurt and led by as many as 8 points, 50-42, with 12:46 left. That would be their largest lead of the night. For 3 minutes and 36 seconds, MSU chipped away at the lead and tied it 56-56 on a layup by Nick Weatherspoon with 8:58 to play.
Arkansas once again retook the lead, went up by 4 with 6:31 left, but MSU would not go away and tied it up at 64-64 with 5:19 to go. Arkansas coach Mike Anderson called timeout. Arkansas led from the 18:54 mark on a Macon layup until Xavian Stapleton hit a pair of free throws with 4 minutes left to put MSU up 69-67.
A rebound and put-back from Macon gave the Hogs a 4-point lead, 73-69, with 2:16 to play, but the Bulldogs came right back and tied it at 75-75 on a 3-pointer by Quinndary Weatherspoon. A shot off the glass from Abdul Ado with 39 seconds left and a 1 of 2 showing at the free throw line from Quinndary Weatherspoon with 21 seconds put MSU up by 3 points 78-75.
Arkansas brought the ball into the frontcourt and called for a timeout with 16 seconds left. Macon inbounded the basketball and got it back. He put up a pump fake as he side-stepped trying to draw a foul from Stapleton, but he was called for traveling and the ball went back over to MSU.
After being fouled with 6 seconds left, Nick Weatherspoon failed to put the game away with a pair of short free throws. Barford rebounded the ball and dished it out to Anton Beard for a long 3-pointer that fell well short of the mark and the Hogs fell in Starkville, 78-75.
FIRST HALF RUNDOWN
Arkansas was outscored 9-to-2 at the free throw line in the first half (9 of 16 for MSU and 2 of 4 for Arkansas). Arkansas was hit with 11 fouls while the Bulldogs only had 5. Neither team shot well from the floor, 12 of 31 (38.7 percent) for Arkansas and 11 of 31 (35.5 percent for MSU). Arkansas was 2 of 7 (28.6 percent) from downtown and MSU was 1 of 12 (8.3 percent). Fouls were the difference in the 4-point MSU lead.
Arkansas has developed a bit of a reputation of starting slow, but they jumped out to a 7-1 lead on a shot by Gafford with 16:21 top lay in the first half. Gafford got off to a hot start with 8 points in less than 7 minutes of action. But MSU answered 8-2 and tied it at 9-9 with 14:98 left.
The Hogs came right back with another 7-1 spurt to make it 20-14 on a 3-pointer by Macon with 9:01 to go only to see MSU come right back a minute and-a-half to take a 21-20 lead.
After the Razorbacks took a 25-22 lead with 5:10 left on a jumper by Arlando Cook, MSU finished out the half with a 10-3 spurt the final 4:23 as the Hogs closed out the remaining minutes in sloppy fashion, down 32-28. Arkansas’ only points came on a long bank shot from Darious Hall and a free throw from Barford.
UP NEXT
Up next, Arkansas heads to Auburn (13-1, 1-0 SEC) for a 5 p.m. (CST) game on Saturday. That game will be televised on ESPNU. The Tigers are coming off a 94-84 road win over No. 23 Tennessee.
