The Mississippi State men’s basketball team was 12-1 going into conference play, but their first true test came in the form of the 22nd ranked Arkansas Razorbacks…and they passed.
The Bulldogs came away with a 78-75 victory, and this marks the first time in 18 tries that the Bulldogs have beat a ranked opponent.
The win was aided by Junior Quinndary Weatherspoon who finished with 22 points with 13 coming in the second half; perhaps no basket was bigger than a 3-pointer that tied the game at 75 all with 1:20 remaining in the game.
Mississippi State took a 3 point lead after an Abdul Ado putback and a Weatherspoon free throw. Arkansas had a chance to tie of a miss on the second free throw attempt, but the heave fell short, and the Bulldogs are 1-0 in conference play.
After the game, Weatherspoon told ESPN after the game that this team has a different feel, and it shows in close games.
“It means we’re finally getting over the hump that we’ve been trying to get over the past two years I’ve been here,” Weatherspoon said. “It’s just good we can pull those games out.”
With room to improve, the Bulldogs shot just 19 percent from 3, making just 4 of their 21 attempts.
The Bulldogs will travel to Oxford on Saturday where MSU and Ole Miss will renew their on-court rivalry. Ole Miss picked up a win in their first SEC game of the season on Sunday against South Carolina.
