Mississippi State
Arkansas
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 39 | 41 | 80 |
| Mississippi State | 51 | 31 | 82 |
Bulldogs Hold Off Late Arkansas Charge For 82-80 Win
January 14, 2010 | Men's Basketball
• Official Statistics
• Official Statistics (PDF)
• Postgame Notes & Quotes (PDF)
• FREE M2M VIDEO: Coach Stansbury's Postgame Press Conference
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STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State's Jarvis Varnado became the first State player ever to record two career triple-doubles as he pushed the Bulldogs (14-3, 2-0 SEC) to an 82-80 victory against the Arkansas Razorbacks (7-9, 0-1) in front of an announced crowd of 8,339 in Humphrey Coliseum Thursday evening.
Varnado scored 17 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and tied his own MSU all-time high of 10 blocks to register his second triple-double in the Maroon and White.
Five Bulldogs scored in double digits, marking the fourth time this season at least five MSU players achieved the feat. Sophomore Dee Bost led the Bulldogs with 20 points to go along with his 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Senior Barry Stewart scored 12 while junior Ravern Johnson and sophomore Romero Osby each put up 11.
Leading all scorers was Bost and Arkansas' Courtney Fortson, who brought down 20 points on 9-of-26 shooting, with 16 of his points coming in the first half.
The opening 20 minute saw Mississippi State dominate. After the score started at 6-5, the Bulldogs hit 11 of their first 12 shots and orchestrated a 16-4 run midway through the half. MSU led by as many as 19 en route to a 51-39 halftime advantage. State drained 61.3 percent of its shots in the first stanza.
The Razorbacks responded with an effective halftime adjustment on the defensive end and tightened the game throughout the second frame. State led just 80-76 with 25.6 seconds remaining while UA held possession. But Turner intercepted an in-bounds pass to record his only steal of the game and effectively ice the victory for MSU.
"Give Arkansas a lot of credit," MSU coach Rick Stansbury said. "They are going to be one of the better teams in this league. I'm most proud of our team because we had an opportunity after the win on the road Saturday to get patted on the back and drink that poison. For the most part, we didn't, and we came out ready to play. I'm proud of the team for being ready."
Mississippi State has now won 11 of its last 12 contests after upsetting in-state rival and 14th-ranked Ole Miss on the road Saturday. Leading the league in three-point percentage and blocks, MSU shot 47.1 percent from behind the arc and swatted 13 Razorback shots.
State returns to action on Saturday by hosting the Georgia Bulldogs (8-7, 0-2) on ESPN2 at 2 p.m.
