STARKVILLE — Tolu Smith slammed home a dunk to give Mississippi State a two-point halftime lead in Wednesday’s Southeastern Conference opener against Arkansas.
Then the Bulldogs forward headed into the locker room to hear coach Ben Howland implore his team not to lose that narrow advantage.
“The game’s 40 minutes, not 20 minutes,” Howland said. “We played a great first half. We have to play another one. We have to put two halves together.”
In a welcome development for the Bulldogs, they did exactly that for perhaps the first time in a big game all season.
Mississippi State (10-3, 1-0 SEC) never gave up the lead Smith’s jam delivered, pulling away from the Razorbacks (10-3, 0-1 SEC) in an 81-68 win fueled by a team-high 18 points from the redshirt junior forward.
Smith grabbed six rebounds and even came away with five steals as he played for the first time since Dec. 5 against Minnesota.
“It was great to be back,” he said.
Smith missed the season’s first four games recovering from a stress fracture in his left foot only to break the pinky toe in his right foot in his second game of the year. He played through the injury but struggled to move, leading Howland to shut him down after the loss to the Golden Gophers.
But Smith was back at the top of his game Wednesday night, and his performance was critical.
“We need him,” Howland said. “To be our best, we have to have Tolu Smith in the lineup because he’s one of our top players without question.”
Mississippi State showed it can get by without Smith, winning three of its past four games. Even Wednesday, the Bulldogs had three other players in double figures — Iverson Molinar with 16 points, Shakeel Moore with 15 and D.J. Jeffries with 10. Off the bench, Rocket Watts and Andersson García contributed seven points each, and Javian Davis had six.
Smith said MSU’s depth makes it easier on himself and Molinar, its top returning players from last season.
“Sometimes we don’t have to go get 20 every game,” Smith said. “We’ve got players who are capable of scoring and capable of doing other things. When you have that weight off your shoulders, it’s good. It helps the team.”
So did his return, which helped Mississippi State get off to a strong start in SEC play. Smith was the only player from either team to reach double figures in the first half, racking up points in just 25 minutes of play.
He praised his coaches’ ability to substitute effectively, allowing Smith to play four-minute increments and recharge during breaks in the action. With Davis effective again in his 15 minutes on the court, Howland said “so be it” if Smith plays 28 or 29 minutes for the time being as he returns to full strength.
Only two Bulldogs played over 30 minutes — starting guards Molinar (32) and Moore (34). Moore, a transfer from NC State, had a strong all-around game, adding five assists and four steals to his scoring output.
He made a key 3-pointer early in the second half after Smith missed a tough layup under the basket and Brooks blew a putback dunk. Molinar collected the rebound and passed it to Moore, who turned a would-be two points into a fortunate three.
The shot put Mississippi State up 44-38, and a García triple pushed the lead back up to six shortly afterward. The Bulldogs stretched things out afterward, as Molinar gave them a double-digit edge for good with just under 12 minutes to go.
MSU had every rotation player available — a rarity this season — against a depleted Arkansas team. Guard JD Notae, the Hogs’ leading scorer at 18 points per game, did not play due to an illness. (Forward Kamani Johnson, averaging 3.4 points per game, was suspended pregame.)
“Although they didn’t have their best player, we still had to lock in,” Smith said. “This is the SEC. Things happen.”
They didn’t Wednesday on Mississippi State’s watch. The Bulldogs kept their foot on the gas all the way to the final horn.
“I’m really happy and grateful for the win,” Howland said. “I thought our guys did a really good job today battling and really competed hard.”
Dawg notes
Howland said after the game freshman forward KeShawn Murphy tested positive for COVID-19. Murphy, a Birmingham native, is redshirting this season. His three fellow freshman roommates all tested negative, Howland said. Freshman Camryn Carter was scoreless in five minutes off the bench … Guard Rocket Watts returned to action after missing games against Furman and Winthrop due to lingering hip soreness. Watts finished with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting, knocking down two midrange jumpers.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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