With a chance to clinch its third SEC West title since the 2002-2003 season, the Mississippi State men’s basketball team fell to the Razorbacks of Arkansas 67-58 Wednesday night in Fayetteville. In the first half, Mississippi State (16-12, 7-8) came out with strong defensive intensity, forcing the Razorbacks into 7 turnovers in the first seven minutes of the game, pulling out to an early 11-6 lead in the half.
The Bulldogs game plan involved getting the ball into the hands of junior forward Charles Rhodes early and often, as Rhodes scored 4 of the Bulldogs’ first 7 points.
The Bulldogs continued to pound the ball inside often with Rhodes and sophomore Jamont Gordon.
The two scored 16 of the Bulldogs first 21 points.
All but one of State’s field goals came from inside the arch in the first half.
The Hogs continued its sluggishly play, allowing the Bulldogs to increase its lead to 10 points, 25-15, behind the shooting of Rhodes, with just over four minutes left in the half.
However, the Hogs were able to make a late run in the closing minutes of the half, behind the shooting of freshman guard Stefan Welsh.
Welsh, the bright spot for the Hogs in the half, came off the bench and scored 6 points in the last two minutes to bring the Razorbacks within 2, and the Bulldogs took a slim 32-30 headed in halftime.
The Bulldogs dominated the first half, despite the play of Welsh who went 4-of-4 from behind the arch in the first half.
“Bottom line, they shot, and we didn’t,” MSU head coach Rick Stansbury said. “Our kids battled and battled, but Welsh came off the bench and made a difference.”
Gordon led the Bulldogs in scoring for the first half with 12 points, with Rhodes right behind him scoring 11 points.
Welsh lead for the Hogs with 11 first half points.
The Razorbacks picked up were they left off at the end of the first half to start the second.
Gary Ervin scored the first 5 points for the Hogs in the half, giving the Hogs the lead at 35-34, its first lead since 3-2 in the early stages of the game.
The normally-hostile crowd at Bud Walton Arena remained dormant for most of the game.
Then, early in the second half, former MSU guard Gary Ervin was fouled and appeared to say something in the direction of Rhodes.
The on-court altercation resulted in offsetting technical fouls.
From that moment on, the Razorback fans backed its squad, which also seemed to find its groove in the game.
“Gary (Ervin) and I got tangled up. We bumped heads and got into it. I hold no faults against him,” Rhodes said of the incident.
The Bulldogs were able to build a 6 point lead in the second half, to 50-44, with 9:18 left in the game.
The Hogs answered the run with a 7-0 clip of its own, behind the play of junior guard Sonny Weems, to take a 51-50 lead with 8:14 left to go in the game.
The two teams exchanged baskets down the stretch, but Arkansas took control over the last four minutes of the game.
From then on, the Bulldogs were held to just 2 points.
MSU was only 1-for-15 from behind the three- point arc for the game, while Arkansas shot 50 percent from 3-point range.
State’s leading scorers were Rhodes and Gordon who both scored in double figures.
Rhodes had 22 points and eight rebounds, while Jamont Gordon scored a game high 23 points and added in seven rebounds for the Bulldogs.
The Razorbacks had four players reach double figures in points.
Ervin lead the Hogs in scoring with 20 points and also dished out seven assists for the Hogs.
Welsh added 16 points, while Weems and Patrick Beverley added 10 points each.
Despite the loss, the Bulldogs still remain in position to win the SEC Western division.
State pulled into a four-way tie in the division with Alabama, Ole Miss and Auburn.
State can clench the title with a win at home Sunday against the Crimson Tide of Alabama.
A Bulldog loss would drop the team to third in the division.