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The key piece missing from Arkansas’ roster this season was painfully obvious Wednesday night.

Reggie Perry took advantage of the Razorbacks’ lack of size - a void he created by flipping his commitment from Arkansas to Mississippi State two years ago - and carried the Bulldogs to a 77-70 victory in Starkville, Miss.

The 6-foot-10 star big man notched his seventh double-double in the last eight games, shooting 6 of 13 from the floor and 14 of 15 from the free throw line to match a career high with 26 points while grabbing 13 rebounds.

A minus-10 rebounding margin (41-31) that included 11 offensive boards for Mississippi State, which it turned into 11 second-chance points, wasn't as bad as Arkansas might have expected.

Instead, the Razorbacks shooting 20 fewer free throws (31 to 11) and shooting poorly from beyond the arc (5 of 20) was ultimately too much to overcome and they lost their second straight game. The loss drops them to 14-4 overall and 3-3 in SEC play.

It was evident early on that Perry would be a problem, as he hit a couple of jump hoots to help the Bulldogs jump out to a 9-3 lead. After turning it over on its first two possessions, Arkansas got a three-pointer from Isaiah Joe.

However, those were hard to come by the rest of the night. Four of the Razorbacks’ first five shots were from beyond the arc - with Joe’s bucket the only make - before they switched up their game plan.

Attacking the basket more, Arkansas went on a 13-2 run - highlighted by Jeantal Cylla’s second three-pointer of the game - to take a five-point lead. It was the first of six lead changes in the half.

Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, they went cold near the end of the half and the Bulldogs took control of the game by scoring 11 of the next 15 points.

The Razorbacks trailed 30-26 at halftime as their top three scorers - Jimmy Whitt Jr. (4), Joe (3) and Mason Jones (2) - were held to just nine points. A pair of unlikely contributors kept them in the game, with Reggie Chaney and Cylla scoring six and five points, respectively, as did a surprising 18-6 edge in paint points thanks to the strategy of penetrating.

Mississippi State never relinquished its lead in the second half despite Jones and Whitt heating up and combining for 34 points after the break.

Jones’ first three-pointer of the game made it a two-point game early in the second half, but Whitt’s potential game-tying dunk was partially blocked by Perry and the Bulldogs scored six straight points.

When the Razorbacks pulled within three on two occasions midway through the half, they couldn’t come up with a stop and Mississippi State finally stretched its lead to double digits with 4:41 remaining.

A last-gasp effort, with Jones finishing a fast break layup with about a minute left, got Arkansas within five, but that was as close as it would get.

Jones and Whitt had 20 points apiece for the Razorbacks, while Joe finished with only five on a 2-of-13 shooting performance that included 1 of 8 from beyond the arc.

In addition to Perry, the Bulldogs had three other players in double figures: D.J. Stewart Jr. (14), Nick Weatherspoon (11) and Tyson Carter (10). Weatherspoon also had six rebounds and six assists.

Riding a two-game losing streak for the first time this season, Arkansas will welcome TCU (13-5, 4-2 Big 12) to Bud Walton Arena for the Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday. Tip off is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN2.