Austin Pours In 30 To Hold Back Hogs, 89-83
May 25, 2016 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) -- As a report of Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson's possible departure circulated, Mississippi State made a late spurt to beat the Razorbacks 89-83 on Wednesday night.
Mario Austin had 30 points for Mississippi State (22-7, 9-6 Southeastern Conference), which has won four straight, while Marckell Patterson added 21.
Jannero Pargo matched his season-high with 35 points for the Razorbacks (13-14, 5-10) and Brandon Dean added 18.
There was a report before the game that Richardson and the university would agree to a $3 million buyout of the remaining six years of his $1.03 million-per-year contract.
Arkansas chancellor John White dismissed the Internet report Wednesday, saying he did plan to meet with Richardson without giving any details.
Richardson refused an interview when entering Humphrey Coliseum.
On his postgame radio show he said: ``You can expect a lot of things to be said and sometimes when there is smoke there could be fire. I don't want to speculate. I have not been contacted. All I can say is I'm the basketball coach right now.''
Richardson chastised Arkansas media and fans for being excessively critical of him, and injected race as an issue, during a news conference on Monday. After losing to Kentucky on Saturday, he said if the school would buy out his contract he would accept.
Arkansas, which has lost five of six, is trying to avoid its first losing season since 1985-86, Richardson's first at the school.
In 17 seasons with the Razorbacks, Richardson is 389-169. He has taken Arkansas to the postseason each of the last 15 seasons, and to the NCAA tournament 14 times, winning the national championship in 1994 and reaching the title game the next season.
Earlier this season he became the 18th NCAA Division I coach to reach 500 career victories. He is 508-206 in 22 seasons.
Richardson was subdued throughout the game, rarely leaving his seat and never taking off his suit jacket.
The Razorbacks built a 72-66 lead with 5 1/2 minutes left behind the shooting of Pargo and Dean.
The Bulldogs went ahead with a 7-0 run, but Pargo put Arkansas back on top 75-73 with a 3-pointer with 3:10 left.
Mississippi State outscored Arkansas 16-8 the rest of the way, with Patterson's three-point play at 1:10 giving the Bulldogs an 81-77 lead.
They iced it from the free throw line in the final minute.
Arkansas survived a 16-0 Mississippi State run and closed the first half with a 13-2 spurt of its own. Dean heaved in a 3-pointer from 35 feet at the buzzer to tie it at 41.
