FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) – The Arkansas basketball team is at a point where winning is a necessity as the postseason becomes more and more murky with every loss. But the Mississippi State offense was too much for the Razorbacks’ short depth and worn down players, resulting in the Hogs losing 78-77.
Arkansas has now dropped seven of its past eight games against SEC opponents.
After a string of slow starts, Arkansas actually managed to take control of the game early on and keep a lead for nearly the first seven minutes. You can credit the strong offense to Mason Jones and Reggie Chaney who came out the gates hot.
However, the trend of keeping games too close for comfort continued and Mississippi State stormed ahead to finish the first half with an eight-point advantage after going on an 8-0 run in the closing 62 seconds of the half. This marked the sixth straight game where Arkansas trailed at halftime.
The Bulldogs became unstoppable in the second half, leading by as much as 17 points. But Arkansas didn’t give up the fight, going on a 36-16 run to eventually take the lead with just under two minutes to play.
But the comeback effort was just a little too short and a little too late. MSU was able to score with 0.6 seconds left on the clock to seal the victory and stop Arkansas’ comeback attempt.
The bright spot of the day once again came from Mason Jones, who racked up 38 points in the loss. Desi Sills (15) and Adrio Bailey (10) both finished in double digits as well.
With hopes of an NCAA Tournament berth dwindling away, Arkansas is now back on the road to take on Florida on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 6:00 PM.
