Mississippi State
20-11,8-10SEC
Arkansas
19-12,8-10SEC
The Final Horn: Arkansas 93, No. 25 State 92
March 08, 2025 | Men's Basketball
A quick rundown of the action as MSU falls to the Razorbacks.
THE BOTTOM LINE: On the verge of pulling off an incredible comeback, No. 25 Mississippi State was unable to connect on a pair of potential game-winning shots as the clock wound down and the Bulldogs ultimately fell 93-92 to Arkansas on Saturday at Bud Walton Arena. MSU trailed by 16 points midway through the second half before rallying to take a lead in the closing minutes. A 12-0 State run gave MSU both an advantage and momentum headed down the stretch. However, the Razorbacks scored six of the game's final nine points to hold off the Dawgs and narrowly claim victory. All of the late drama followed a back-and-forth first half that featured 10 lead changes and saw State grab an early six-point advantage. However, Arkansas found its footing and battled back to lead 45-44 at halftime. When all was said and done, that one point difference held. With the loss, the Bulldogs wrap up the regular season with a 20-11 overall record and 8-10 mark in SEC action.
KEY NUMBERS: Arkansas' offensive success proved to be just enough to push the Razorbacks over the edge. As a team, Arkansas shot 55.4 percent from the field in the game, including an incredibly impressive 61.5 percent over the final 20 minutes. The Hogs connected on 12 of their first 14 shots from the field after halftime to take control and put State in catch-up mode for most of the rest of the way. Still, MSU almost did enough to come out on top. Six Bulldogs scored in double figures, led by Claudell Harris Jr.'s 18 points. Josh Hubbard added 17, while KeShawn Murphy and Cameron Matthews totaled 13 each. Riley Kugel scored 12 and RJ Melendez had 10. Michael Nwoko was just short of double figures with nine points.
NEXT UP FOR THE DAWGS: Mississippi State begins play in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. The Bulldogs' first game of the event will be on Wednesday at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Opponent and time is to be determined. The contest will be televised by SEC Network.
