STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mike Anderson knows his No. 22 Arkansas Razorbacks let a precious SEC road victory slip from their grasp in the final minute of a 78-75 loss at Mississippi State on Tuesday.
While there were several aspects that figured strongly into the Razorbacks' loss, such as poor free-throw shooting and late turnovers that led to a 13-7 disadvantage in that department, Anderson put a finger on one key culprit -- defensive rebounding.
Mississippi State had 17 offensive rebounds, and the Bulldogs turned those into a 16-9 edge in second-chance points. That figure could have been a lot higher if not for the Bulldogs' poor shooting night and Abdul Ado's 2 of 9 performance from the free-throw line, many of them coming after he had snared offensive boards.
The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (12-3, 1-1 SEC) lost in its SEC road opener and fell to Mississippi State for the third consecutive game largely because the Bulldogs attacked the Hogs' pressure defense and crashed their offensive glass.
"I think that's going to be a big key to this team here," Anderson said about rebounding. "We've got to be a team that's going to rebound by committee.
"It's not a glamorous job, but in order to win at the elite level we want to win -- especially on the road in SEC play -- [it's critical] because possessions are so big."
There were numerous examples of the Bulldogs cashing in after snatching an offensive rebound.
With Arkansas ahead 56-50, Quinndary Weatherspoon missed a layup for the Bulldogs, but Xavian Stapleton rebounded and zipped a pass to Tyson Carter, who nailed a three-pointer with 9:41 remaining.
On the Bulldogs' next possession, Ado missed the back end of a two-shot free-throw opportunity and Aric Holman grabbed the board. Eight seconds later, Nick Weatherspoon missed a three-pointer, but Quinndary Weatherspoon rebounded and fed his younger brother for a tying layup.
"We had a problem rebounding," Arkansas guard Daryl Macon said. "That played a big part in the win for them and a big part in losing for us. ... One thing coach preaches is we've got to box out on the free-throw line. We didn't do it tonight and it cost us."
Weatherspoon also charged down the left baseline to tip in a pair of missed three-pointers in the first half.
"Coach Howland had told us that they're not a great blocking-out team and if we go hard enough we can get second-chance shots," the elder Weatherspoon said. "He said if we crash hard enough the opportunities are there because they do not box out."
Mississippi State Coach Ben Howland, after a reporter pointed out the Bulldogs' 17 offensive boards and their 16-9 advantage in second-chance points, called them great stats.
"I'm really excited about both of them," Howland said. "We ended up tied on the boards.
"Arkansas is a really good team. This game could have gone either way and we found a way to win it, so I'm excited for our team."
The Razorbacks made 9 of their first 10 shots in the second half to turn a 32-28 deficit into a 50-42 lead.
Macon scored the first five points of the second half, Anton Beard made a three-pointer and Daniel Gafford hit three consecutive shots to stoke the run.
Anderson pointed out a pedestrian first half, which included 12-of-31 (38.7 percent) shooting.
"I thought we did it to ourselves," Anderson said. "I thought we were stagnant on offense. I thought we just kind of, the ball got stuck a lot.
"The times that we scored we went inside. I think Daniel was like 4 for 6. We had great crisp ball movement early on. That's what we talked about at halftime, coming out and playing more like we've been playing all year long."
The Razorbacks shot 20 of 31 (64.5 percent) in the second half but could not overcome a huge 24-5 advantage for Mississippi State in made free throws.
Macon lamented the Hogs' lack of ball movement in the first half.
"On the offensive end we were stagnant," Macon said. "We weren't moving. The ball wasn't moving like it usually does. I kind of feel like that cost us the game, [their] offensive rebounds and not moving on the offensive end."
On the positive side, Arkansas got 14 points from its bench one game after scoring five in a 95-93 victory over Tennessee.
Sophomore Adrio Bailey scored 10 against the Bulldogs on 5-of-7 shooting. He also added six rebounds and a steal, and his layup gave Arkansas a 71-69 lead with 3:06 remaining.
"I thought he was a difference-maker," Anderson said. "That's the Adrio we envisioned having earlier in the year.
"I thought he played with that edge, played with that aggressiveness. We've got to have that. He did a good job on the boards. We've got to get other guys on the boards."
The Razorbacks will get their next opportunity to get on the boards Saturday at 5 p.m. at Auburn, which sports a 13-1 record after defeating Tennessee 94-84 on Tuesday.
Saturday’s game
NO. 22 ARKANSAS AT AUBURN
WHEN 5 p.m. Central WHERE Auburn Arena, Auburn, Ala. RECORDS Arkansas 11-3, 1-1 SEC; Auburn 13-1, 1-0 TV ESPNU
Sports on 01/04/2018