Garrison Brooks slowed up as he neared his own basket, unable to stop the spectacle going on above.
Brooks had just charged back down the floor but couldn’t interfere with Arkansas guard JD Notae’s full-court heave to teammate Devonta Davis. Davis outraced Brooks to the rim and slammed the basketball home, leaving Brooks to collect and inbound it.
Once again Saturday night, Arkansas was a step ahead of Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs (14-8, 5-4 Southeastern Conference) hung around all night but could never surpass the Razorbacks (18-5, 7-3 SEC) in a 63-55 loss at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
“I thought we showed a lot of fight tonight against a very good team in a sold-out arena here that was very loud,” Mississippi State coach Ben Howland said.
Mississippi State remained winless on the road, falling to 0-5 in true road games this season with five left to play. Arkansas won its eighth straight game and made up for a Dec. 29 loss to the Bulldogs in Starkville.
MSU shot just 35.3 percent from the floor and Arkansas wasn’t much better in an ugly game that saw the two teams tied 25-all at halftime. But the Razorbacks hit their shots down the stretch when the Bulldogs couldn’t.
Jaylin Williams and Chris Lykes had clutch 3-pointers for Arkansas, and Davis had a deep 2-point jumper as the Hogs put the Dawgs away in the closing minutes.
“They made tough shots,” Brooks said. “They got stops. … They made bigger plays down the stretch than we did.”
Playing for the first time since Jan. 22 against Ole Miss, Tolu Smith missed his final three shots as Mississippi State fought to hang around. Smith finished 2 of 8 for 11 points, making seven free throws as he returned from a knee injury suffered against the Rebels.
Howland pointed out Smith has had limited practice time, working for the past two days after being out much of the season. Smith played in just his ninth game for the Bulldogs all season.
“I think all things considered, he did a really good job,” Howland said.
Only forward Garrison Brooks (5 of 9) shot above 50 percent for Mississippi State. Guard Iverson Molinar led with 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting, finishing below .500 from the field for the first time since Jan. 15 against Alabama.
“I think we did a relatively good job,” Brooks said. “I just think we have to make more plays offensively down the stretch.”
For a while, Mississippi State was doing so. Brooks slammed home a dunk off an assist by Smith with 2:07 to go, extending the Bulldogs’ scoring run to eight straight points. A 53-44 Arkansas lead had become just a one-point advantage.
But Williams buried a three from the right elbow for the Razorbacks, putting Arkansas ahead by two possessions. Smith made two free throws, but Davis knocked down a jumper to extend the lead again.
Smith’s midrange jumper with 39 seconds to go clanked off the rim, and Lykes buried a 3 to practically seal it with 25 seconds to go.
Arkansas shot just 37.7 percent in the game and finished 4 of 19 from deep, including a paltry 1 of 12 from 3 in the first half.
But Brooks credited a Razorbacks defense ranked fifth in the SEC for its efforts Saturday. The Hogs closed out well on Mississippi State shooters when they needed to and often sagged off the Bulldogs at the right times.
Howland said Arkansas forced MSU into a lot of “poor shots” Saturday and seemed much improved from the team that allowed 81 points to the Bulldogs at the tail end of 2021.
“I think they defended really well,” Brooks said. “That was their game plan. That’s what they hang their hat on.”
By doing so, Arkansas kept Mississippi State from the road win the Bulldogs sorely needed. MSU has five more road games on the regular season schedule: LSU, Alabama, Missouri, South Carolina and Texas A&M.
But Howland likes to take things one game at a time, and next up is a date with Tennessee (16-6, 7-3 SEC) at Humphrey Coliseum. MSU is 12-1 at home, and improving that record will be paramount as the Bulldogs seek a road victory.
“I think we’re an NCAA tournament team,” Howland said. “I think we’ve got to prove it, though, by getting a road win, and we have to hold serve at home.”
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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