Dashawn Davis scored 17 points as Mississippi State continued its sizzling midseason run in the Southeastern Conference by beating host Arkansas 70-64 in Fayetteville, Ark.
Mississippi State (17-8, 5-7 SEC) earned its fifth straight win — the longest active winning streak in the SEC. The club’s last defeat came at then-No. 2 Alabama on Jan. 25.
Shakeel Moore had 12 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Tolu Smith had 11 points and eight rebounds. Cameron Matthews notched 10 points, six rebounds and two steals.
The Bulldogs, who shot 47.4 percent and made 6 of 10 3-pointers, won for the eighth time in the past 10 games against Arkansas.
The Razorbacks (17-8, 6-6) lost for the first time in four games. Anthony Black led the Hogs with 23 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Ricky Council IV scored 13 points and made 11 of 13 free throws.
Appearing in just his sixth game and for the first time since Dec. 17, highly touted freshman guard Nick Smith Jr. scored five points in 17 minutes.
Seven-point underdog Mississippi State was lights out shooting from the start, connecting on 9 of 11 shots for a 23-17 lead just over 10 minutes into the game. That including a 3-for-5 showing from 3-point range.
Tolu Smith’s tip-in basket gave the visitors a 27-19 lead with 7:37 left in the half, but Arkansas’ defense stiffened and allowed the club to creep back in at 27-25.
However, the Bulldogs got a Matthews dunk, a Will McNair Jr. layup and a trey from Moore to finish the half on a 7-0 run and lead 34-25.
The Bulldogs shot 51.9 percent (14 of 27) and made 4 of 7 from long range. They won the rebounding battle 20-12 and bench points 13-4.
In the second half, Mississippi State built its largest lead — 47-31 at 13:54 — but then went scoreless for over three minutes. That drought allowed the Razorbacks to cut it to five on Davonte Davis’ long ball at 10:40.
The Razorbacks trimmed the deficit to 60-57 with 1:22 left, but Matthews hit four free throws and a layup to help seal the victory.
–Field Level Media
