Mississippi State beats Arkansas, 70-64
The Arkansas Razorbacks (17-8, 6-6) had their five-game SEC winning streak brought to an end by Mississippi State (17-8, 5-7) in a 70-64 loss to the Bulldogs inside Bud Walton Arena on Saturday.
A 23-point effort from Anthony Black and the highly-anticipated return of star freshman Nick Smith Jr. wasn't enough to propel the Razorbacks to a victory. Arkansas shot 43.8% from the field in the contest, compared to the Bulldogs' 47.4%.
The trio of Smith, Davonte Davis and Ricky Council IV combined to go 5-of-25 from the field. Despite hitting the double bonus with over eight minutes left in the game, the Hogs couldn't cash in enough on free throws or limit the Bulldogs' scoring down the stretch.
Mississippi State entered the game shooting a lousy 27.9% from three, but it converted on 6-of-10 (60%) from deep Saturday. The duo of Cameron Matthews and Shakeel Moore combined for four of the threes and 29 points.
Here's a recap of Arkansas' sixth loss in conference play this season.
Arkansas opened the game with five straight points, but Mississippi State held a 9-8 lead by the first media timeout and Makhi Mitchell was on the bench with a pair of fouls he drew in the first two minutes.
At the 12:46 mark, Smith checked into the game for the first time since Dec. 17 against Bradley. Arkansas fans inside Bud Walton Arena gave the five-star McDonald's All-American a standing ovation.
Jalen Graham checked in alongside Smith, and Graham battled through contact to slam the ball down, tie the game at 16-16 and pick up a foul call that sent him to the line after the under-12 media timeout.
Graham missed the freebie, but Arkansas grabbed the offensive board and Council drew a shooting foul to cashed in on one and put the Hogs up by one. Mississippi State countered this with seven straight points, but guard Dashawn Davis drew a technical foul and Council hit both free throws that he was awarded.
The Bulldogs entered the game with the SEC's 10th best field goal percentage, but they didn't show that early on, as they led the Hogs 27-21 at the under-8 media timeout. By that point, Mississippi State was 11-of-15 (73.3%) from the field.
Arkansas went on a quick 6-0 run out of the timeout, but a pair of transition buckets from the Bulldogs extended their lead to six and forced Eric Musselman to call a timeout with 2:57 to play in the first half.
Though they boasted the league's worst 3-point percentage prior to Saturday's game, Shakeel Moore knocked down the Bulldogs' fourth 3-pointer of the contest to extend their lead to 34-25, the advantage they took into the halftime locker room.
Mississippi State opened the half on a 7-2 that gave it a 15-point lead over the Razorbacks. By the first media timeout of the second half, the Bulldogs had made more shots (four) than Arkansas had attempted (three), and they led the Hogs by 16.
Makhi Mitchell grabbed an offensive rebound following a missed three from Smith, and Mitchell laid it in to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 10. Mitchell drew a foul on the bucket, but missed the free throw and Black couldn't convert on a shot after grabbing Mitchell's miss.
Council drew a foul at the 11:35 mark to put Arkansas in the bonus and he made it an 8-point game after hitting both free throws. Davis hit a corner three to make it a 47-42, but Makhi Mitchell drew his fifth foul on the other end top send him to the bench with 10:26 to go.
Just as Arkansas seemed to be turning up the defensive intensity, the Bulldogs converted on a pair of layups to hold a 9-point lead at the under-8 timeout. By the final media timeout, Arkansas was on a 6:19 field goal drought, yet it trailed by just six thanks to nine free throws in that span.
Council flew in the air, turned around and slammed a reverse dunk to ignite the home crowd and make it a 5-point game with 2:15 to play. A Makhel Mitchell block turned into a transition layup from Davis that made it a one possession game.
An 8-4 run by Mississippi State put the game out of hand and a three from Smith with 13 seconds could only make it a 4-point game. A pair of free throws by Dashawn Davis made it a 70-64 game — the eventual final score.
Up next, Arkansas will travel to College Station, Texas, to face the Texas A&M Aggies for an 8 p.m. CT tip Wednesday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Box Score
