Mississippi State
17-8,5-7SEC
Arkansas
17-8,6-6SEC
Dawgs Down Hogs For Fifth Win In A Row
February 11, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
Mississippi State’s surge continues.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – In a two-week stretch where Mississippi State has racked up several impressive victories, the Bulldogs might've just made their loudest statement yet.
MSU topped Arkansas 70-64 on Saturday night at Bud Walton Arena. Even on the road in front of a raucous crowd and facing a team sitting at No. 23 in the NCAA's NET rankings coming into play, the Dawgs wouldn't be denied as they captured their fifth win in a row.
"Just proud of my kids," State head coach Chris Jans said. "I've heard all about [Bud Walton Arena]. I'd never been to a game here. I'd been to AAU events here a long, long time ago, but obviously it's a great venue to compete in. And [the win] felt really good."
Dashawn Davis had a team-high 17 points for Mississippi State, while Shakeel Moore scored 12, Tolu Smith totaled 11 and Cameron Matthews added 10.
The Bulldogs also got 16 points from their bench, including 11 combined from Will McNair, Jr. and Shawn Jones, Jr. as well as a clutch second-half 3-pointer from Eric Reed, Jr. that allowed MSU to hold off the Razorbacks late.
Mississippi State controlled the game for much of the night, starting with a dominant first half. Arkansas scored the contest's first five points, but from there, the Bulldogs outscored the Razorbacks by 14 over the rest of the period to take a 34-25 lead by the intermission.
The Bulldogs shot an impressive 52 percent in the first half, including 4-for-7 from beyond the three-point line.
"Man, the first 10 or 15 minutes, we were really running good offense," Jans said. "I really liked where we were at. Certainly, in the second half, it was a little stop and start; and we were just trying to survive it felt like at the end. But you've got to give some credit to [Arkansas], too."
MSU stretched its lead to 16 in the early moments of the second half before Arkansas rallied. With 1:22 to go, the Razorbacks had trimmed the Dawgs' lead down to just three points.
However, State held on, thanks in large part to Matthews. He scored six of his 10 points over the final 1:13 – including sinking four huge free throws – to secure victory for the Bulldogs, who knew exactly how vital the triumph was.
"This feels amazing," Smith said. "I'm so happy we got this win. It's a Quad 1 win, so it's a great feeling for us. It was a great opportunity we had, and we just accomplished it."
The only thing better for State would be to keep its current surge going. Mississippi State will look to do just that on Wednesday when the Bulldogs host Kentucky at 7:30 p.m. at Humphrey Coliseum.
It's yet another chance to add to the NCAA Tournament resume, and the Dawgs want their family packing The Hump to help the cause.
"We definitely need The Hump to rock," Jans said. "It's a heck of an opportunity for us."
