Arkansas trailed the entire game and Mississippi State held on to a 20-plus point lead for most of the second half. The Razorbacks got as close as eight points, in the second quarter, after Higginbottom was fouled and converted the and-one. The Hogs finished the first half on a nearly three-minute scoring drought.

Coach Sam Purcell had a challenge for the team entering Thursday: answer the call. “I thought we had a great scout at LSU, but we didn't do anything we worked on for two days in

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Mississippi State finished 33 of 70 (47%) from the field, 9 of 21 (43%) beyond the arc and 3 of 8 (37.5%) from the foul line. The Bulldogs had 44 paint points. “You’ve got to give Mississippi State credit,” Neighbors said. “This is a team that we all picked really high based on the level of talent that they brought in.”

The Minnesota State women’s basketball team played host to Wayne State on Thursday. MSU wins big by a final of 96-56. In the victory, head coach Emilee Thiesse became the winningest head coach in program history after picking up her 247th career win.