STARKVILLE, Miss. - Reggie Perry had 26 points and 13 rebounds to lead Mississippi State to a 77-70 win over Arkansas on Wednesday.
Perry has now scored 20 points or more in five of his last seven games. He also recorded his SEC-leading 11th double-double of the season and his 20th career double-double. DJ Stewart Jr. added 14 points for Mississippi State (12-6 overall, 3-3 ) while Nick Weatherspoon and Tyson Carter had 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Mason Jones and Jimmy Whitt Jr. each had 20 points to lead Arkansas (14-4, 3-3).
Behind four early points by Perry, Mississippi State jumped out to a 9-3 advantage to open the game. But Arkansas later responded with a 9-0 run and held a 16-11 lead following a Jeantal Cylla 3 pointer.
Both teams traded turns with the lead until Mississippi State used a 9-0 run to grab at 28-22 lead late in the opening half. Mississippi State held a 30-26 halftime lead as the first half featured seven lead changes and three ties.
Mississippi State shot just 30.3% in the first half and made 4 of 11 beyond the arc. The Bulldogs were 6 of 7 at the charity stripe in the opening half, led by Perry's 6 of 6 showing at the line. Arkansas shot 42.9% from the field in the first half and made just 2 of 10 beyond the arc.
The Bulldogs held a 23-17 rebounding advantage in the first half but were outscored 18-6 in the paint.
BIG PICTURE
Arkansas: After a 3-1 start inside the SEC, Arkansas has now dropped back-to-back road games at Kentucky and Mississippi State.
Mississippi State: After an 0-3 start inside SEC play, the Bulldogs evened their conference record with a 3-0 homestand. Now the Bulldogs will play three of the next four games on the road.
UP NEXT
Arkansas: The Razorbacks host TCU on Saturday as part of the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs hit the road on Saturday and face Oklahoma in Oklahoma City as part of the SEC-Big 12 Challenge.