Robbie Neiswanger by Robbie Neiswanger

MSU Game Blog

You probably know by now that Arkansas lost its SEC opener 70-56.

It snaps the Razorbacks’ 10-game win streak and also makes you scratch your head a little, especially after the home wins against Oklahoma and Texas in the 10 days leading up to SEC play.

But tonight’s loss was pretty easy to figure out. John Pelphrey said the Razorbacks were just outplayed in every way.

“They came in with defense and executed offensively at a high level,” Pelphrey said. “It was better than ours. They made big-time shots and their guards played well. You’ve got to give them credit.”

Mississippi State made 11 of 27 from behind the 3-point line. Arkansas was 3 for 22

The Bulldogs outscored Arkansas 15-o on fast break points.

The Razorbacks shot 32.1 percent from the field in the second half, 35.9 percent in the game.

Now the goal for Arkansas is to regroup. They have to. If not, it could get ugly. The next two games are on the road at Ole Miss (Wednesday) and Florida (Saturday). Home had been a happy place for the Hogs this season, but the key to their season will be their performance on the road.

“We had no excuses for tonight,” Pelphrey said. “Mississippi State outplayed and outcoached us tonight. We need to respond well to our next two road games.”

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This is going to be the last update until after the game. Deadline is calling.

Arkansas trails 64-53 with 4:31 remaining. Simply put, they haven’t been able to string together enough possessions or a big run to set the tone of this game. Instead, it has been MSU on the road that has dictated the pace throughout.

The Razorbacks will have to play flawless basketball from here on out if they hope to win this game.

If not, it will be the end of the 10-game win streak.

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Not much has changed here in Bud Walton Arena.

The run mentioned a little earlier moved to 13-o and gave MSU a 50-41 lead before Arkansas finally scored.

The teams have traded a few baskets over the past few minutes. MSU never jumped more than nine points ahead and Arkansas never cut it any closer than five. Right now, the Razorbacks trail 57-50 with 7:34 remaining.

If they’re going to make a run, it’s going to have to come soon.

Here’s another good stat: Courtney Fortson and Stefan Welsh, Arkansas’ second and third leading scorers, have a combined 12 points on 6 of 24 shooting. The usually consistent offensive weapons haven’t been able to produce tonight.

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MSU has quickly gone on an 11-o run to retake the lead here in the second half.

The Bulldogs have knocked down three, 3-pointers during the spurt. Point guard Dee Bost has made two of those, including one from the top of the key that just gave MSU a 48-41 lead. Arkansas has called timeout. The Hogs must address their perimeter defense.

MSU is 9 of 20 behind the 3-point line so far today. Arkansas is 2 of 15. That’s the story of the game.

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The Blog was having a little trouble at the end of the first half. So let’s just start over.

MSU held a 34-32 lead at halftime, but Arkansas has squeezed ahead at the start of the half.

Stefan Welsh gave the Hogs a 38-37 lead with a nice drive to the basket. Rotnei Clarke followed that a couple of possessions later with a 3-pointer that made it 41-37. It was just the second 3-pointer the Razorbacks have made in this game.

MSU has cut it to 41-40 thanks to a Barry Stewart 3-pointer and has the ball again after an Arkansas turnover.

There’s 14:57 left in the game.

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For the record, this game has been very, very ugly.

But Arkansas just took its first lead thanks to a nifty pass from Courtney Fortson to Michael Washington for a dunk. The play has given the Hogs a 24-23 edge with 7:14 remaining.

Actually, the Razorbacks have made it 26-23 thanks to a Washington tip-in. The points came after MSU turned the ball over on the possession following a timeout.

Arkansas has scored the last six points to take this lead.

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Arkansas hasn’t gotten off to a good start here at home.

The Razorbacks committed three turnovers in the early going, had a shot blocked by MSU’s Jarvis Varnado and fell behind 10-2. MSU’s may be playing with a four-guard lineup, but the group is bigger than the Razorbacks and it has shown. Especially on the defensive end.

Arkansas did bounce back to score five straight points to cut it to 10-7, but point guard Dee Bost just knocked made a layup and was fouled. He missed the layup, but MSU leads 12-7 at the 15-minute mark.

Categorized | Basketball, Blog



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