State makes clutch plays late to hold off Arkansas 71-67

For more than 19 minutes of the second half, Mississippi State was in desperate need of a clutch play. Senior veteran Shakeel Moore answered that call and helped the Bulldogs overcome a sloppy game with a 71-67 win over Arkansas on Saturday at Humphrey Coliseum.

With State clinging to a 68-67 lead, Moore stripped the ball from Arkansas’ Makhi Mitchell and then made two free throws with 7.7 seconds left in the game. A Cameron Matthews free throw with one second left then clinched State’s third straight win.

“I knew he (Mitchell) was going to drive it one way,” Moore recalled his steal. “He corralled it and spun the opposite way. So I just took the chance and took the risk to get the ball.”

The Bulldogs improved to 17-8 overall and 6-6 in the SEC while Arkansas fell to 12-13 overall and 3-9 in the league. State has now won nine of its last 11 meetings with Arkansas and the Razorbacks have not won at Humphrey Coliseum since 2015.

While State was not at their best, that didn’t take anything away from head coach Chris Jans’ pleasure of winning.

“I feel great about how they won,” said Jans. “And that’s what I told them in the locker room. Don’t let anyone out there take away what you did today because winning college basketball games is hard. There’s going to be people on social media and in your circle asking you why we didn’t play better and you need to set them straight.

“We won against a very talented team. It may not be as pretty as everyone wants it to be but at this point of the season, you just got to win. I am proud of the fact they stuck together and they found a way. And that’s what it’s about. Even though we didn’t play our best, Arkansas had something to do with that.”

Josh Hubbard led State with 19 points while Matthews had a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards. Moore added nine for the Bulldogs while Tolu Smith had eight points and eight rebounds while being plagued by foul trouble most of the second half.

State shot 48% overall for the game and made 4 of 15 from 3 point territory. The Bulldogs were just 19 of 32 at the foul line and had 14 turnovers. State controlled the boards, 42-27, and had 17 offensive boards.

Mitchell paced Arkansas with 21 points and nine boards while Khalif Battle added 18 points. The Razorbacks shot 45% from the field and made just 3 of 17 beyond the 3 point arc. Arkansas was 14 of 19 at the foul line and had eight turnovers. Fouls were also an issue for the Razorbacks as Mitchell and Tramon Mark both fouled out of the contest.

The second half featured five ties and four lead changes before Hubbard’s 3 pointer with 58 seconds remaining gave State the lead for good at 68-67. The Bulldogs had a chance to ice the game sooner only to see Matthews misses two free throws with 29 seconds left in the half.

“We knew were down close to a minute left,” said Hubbard of his 3 pointer. “We knew we had to get a quick bucket. We just ran what the defense gave us and I took the shot.”

After Arkansas scored the first four points of the game, Mississippi State responded with a 10-0 run in the opening minutes. State would lead by as many as eight in the first half before the Razorbacks clawed their way back into the game. Mark’s 3 pointer capped off a 12-4 Arkansas run and tied the game at 29-29 with 3:02 remaining in the half.

State did hold the Razorbacks scoreless the last 3:02 of the half and led 34-29 at halftime.

“We knew that they feed off quick shots and forced shots, ” added Moore. “So we wanted to hone in and either shoot 3s or get to the basket or the free throw line. Their defense didn’t go away so we had to find ways to dig deep.”

In the opening half, State shot 50% from the field after making eight of its first ten shots. The Bulldogs were 1 of 5 from 3 point range and made 7 of 12 at the foul line. State outrebounded Arkansas 23-11, including eight offensive rebounds, and had nine first-half turnovers.

Arkansas shot 43% in the first half and made 2 of 11 behind the 3 point arc. The Razorbacks were 3 of 4 at the charity stripe and had six turnovers in the half.

The Bulldogs remain at home for their next matchup. State will host rival Ole Miss on Wednesday with an 8 p.m. tipoff at Humphrey Coliseum.

“I really like where they are at and I even said that when we got beat soundly (at Alabama),” added Jans. “I said I still believe in this group. They stuck together and they didn’t lose confidence. They kept practicing at a high level and their energy and their vibe has been good. Certainly winning helps that and everyone feels good when to win.

“This past week and having a week off, they were genuinely excited to practice and we had some live sessions on Thursday and Friday. So I think they are where they need to be right now.”