Mississippi State men’s basketball hosts Central Arkansas

STARKVILLE, Miss. — The Mississippi State men’s basketball team hosts Central Arkansas at Humphrey Coliseum on Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT. The game will be televised by SEC Network.

The Bulldogs (3-3) fell 85-82 in double-overtime to Dayton on Saturday and snapped their three-game winning streak. In that game, redshirt sophomore guard D.J. Stewart Jr. scored a career-high 32 points. Sophomore guard Iverson Molinar added 20 points and a career-high seven assists.

Stewart leads the Bulldogs with 19.0 points per game, while Molinar is second with 18.7. Redshirt sophomore forward Tolu Smith is averaging 14.7 points and a team-high 8.2 rebounds.

Central Arkansas (0-5) has dropped back-to-back road contests to Southeastern Conference programs. The Bears lost 100-75 to Arkansas on Saturday and 68-54 to Ole Miss on Monday.

The Bears have two players averaging in double figures. Senior guard Rylan Bergersen leads the way with 15.8 points per game. Senior point guard DeAndre Jones is averaging 11.2 points and a team-high 4.8 assists. The duo has combined to knock down 20 of the team’s 34 3-pointers.

The Bulldogs own a 70-19 home record and have won 40 of their 44 nonconference home games under sixth-year coach Ben Howland.

Wednesday’s meeting marks the third time that Mississippi State and Central Arkansas will meet on the hardwood. The Bulldogs won both meetings, including a 79-72 victory at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, Mississippi, on Dec. 22, 2012.