STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State had the last run late Tuesday and used it to shake off an 18-game losing streak against ranked opponents.
The Bulldogs overcame a miserable night of three-point shooting with two late three-pointers by the Weatherspoon brothers to hold off No. 22 Arkansas 78-75 before a crowd of 6,324 at Humphrey Coliseum.
The Bulldogs (13-1, 1-0 SEC) finished the game on a 6-0 run, while the final minute for Arkansas (11-3, 1-1) was filled with mistakes.
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville senior guards Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon were called for turnovers in the final minute -- Barford for an offensive foul and Macon for a travel when he was trying to create space at the top of the key for a potential tying three-point shot.
Mississippi State guard Nick Weatherspoon had a chance to ice the game at the free throw line with 6.6 seconds left but he missed both shots. Anton Beard took a long three-point try from the left wing but it was well off the mark just before the final buzzer.
Macon scored 24 points to lead the Razorbacks, while Daniel Gafford added 17 points on 8 of 11 shooting. Barford scored 11 and Adrio Bailey had 10 before fouling out in the final minute.
Junior Quinndary Weatherspoon and freshman Nick Weatherspoon scored 22 points each for Mississippi State.
The see-saw game was filled with mini-runs.
Arkansas led 71-69 on Bailey's steal and layup with 3:06 remaining. The Hogs expanded on that lead on a put-back by Macon to make it 73-69 with 2:16 left.
Barford's put-back gave Arkansas a 75-72 lead with 1:39 left but that would be his team's last points.
Mississippi State shot poorly from the floor at 42.4 percent, and especially from three-point range (4 of 21, 19 percent), but the Bulldogs did a much better job at getting to the free throw line.
The Razorbacks were called for 26 fouls to 11 for the Bulldogs. Mississippi State went 24 of 40 at the line (60 percent), while Arkansas was just 5 of 12 (41.7 percent) for its worst free throw shooting game of the season.
Arkansas made 9 of its first 10 shots in the second half to surge ahead 50-42.
The Razorbacks were leading 56-50 when the Bulldogs went on a short spurt to forge a tie, sparked by a three-pointer from Xavian Stapleton.
Arkansas, playing as a ranked team for the first time since finishing 2015 ranked No. 21, struggled against the Bulldogs' man defense and settled for jumpers for most of the first half.
The Bulldogs had lost their last 18 games against ranked teams.
Gafford carried the Razorbacks, who opened a 7-1 lead in the first four minutes, in the early going. The 6-11 freshman scored eight consecutive points for Arkansas, including three dunks.
Mississippi State dominated the boards in the early going, compensating for a rough shooting start. At one point, the Bulldogs led 17-11 on the glass, many of them on their offensive end.
Arkansas, trailing 14-13, moved ahead with a 7-0 run on jumpers by Adrio Bailey and Anton Beard, followed by Macon's three-pointer to lead 20-14 at 9:02.
However, the Bulldogs went on a 16-7 binge, lead by eight points from Quinndary Weatherspoon, to move ahead 30-27 late in the half. Mississippi State carried a 32-28 lead into the break.
The Bulldogs opened 0 of 9 from three-point range and did not hit from behind the arc until Weatherspoon made one from the left corner at the 2:51 mark of the first half to give his team a 29-27 lead.
Sports on 01/03/2018