Last Second Tip-in Lifts Bulldogs Over Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Redshirt junior forward Abdul Ado delivered a game-winning tip-in with 0.6 seconds as the Mississippi State men’s basketball team topped Arkansas, 78-77, Saturday at Bud Walton Arena.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 16-9 (7-5 SEC), while the Razorbacks fall to 16-9 (4-8 SEC).

The game was tight for much of the first half, but with the scored knotted up at 32-32 with 1:18 left in the first half, Mississippi State scored eight consecutive points to go ahead 40-32 at the halftime break.

The Bulldogs managed to go up 17 points at 56-39 with 14:37 to go, but Razorbacks responded with nine straight points to draw back to single digits at 56-48 with 13:16 left.

Arkansas then used a 15-3 run to turn a 69-60 deficit into a 75-72 lead. The Bulldogs managed to go back up 76-75 with 1:11 to go. Then the lead went back to the Razorbacks at 77-76 with 59.7 seconds left. With under five seconds, senior guard Tyson Carter drove to the basket. His floater hit off the rim and backboard to Ado, who got a friendly bounce for the game-winning tip-in to give MSU a 78-77 win.

Carter fueled the offense with a career-high 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Sophomore forward Reggie Perry added 17 points and eight rebounds, while freshman guard D.J. Stewart Jr. and junior guard Nick Weatherspoon added 10 points each.

Ado’s winning basket was his lone basket of the day. He also recorded seven rebounds and two blocks.

As a team, MSU shot 30-of-51 from the field (58.8%), 3-of-7 on 3-pointers (42.9%) and 15-of-22 on free throws (68.2%).

Arkansas was 24-of-52 shooting (46.2%), 6-of-16 from 3-point range (37.5% ) and 23-of-26 (88.5%) at the charity stripe.

The Bulldogs return home for a contest with South Carolina at Humphrey Coliseum on Wednesday. Tip time is set for 8 p.m. CT and will be televised by the SEC Network