In the Lane

Perry's inside job hurts Hogs

Mississippi State forward Reggie Perry (1) pulls down a rebound against New Mexico State during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State forward Reggie Perry, who once committed to play for the University of Arkansas, was a Hog killer Wednesday night.

Perry, a 6-10 sophomore, led the Bulldogs with 26 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots in their 77-70 victory over the Razorbacks on Wednesday night ar Humphrey Coliseum.

It was the third consecutive game in which Perry has had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.

"He's as good as advertised," Arkansas guard Mason Jones said.

Perry was asked afterward whether he has extra motivation to play Arkansas because he was committed to the Razorbacks before changing his mind and signing with Mississippi State.

"I try killing everybody that I play, to be honest," Perry said. "But it's always fun playing against people that I've played with in the past.

"Y'all probably saw me talking a little bit. That's normal, but I probably talked a little more tonight just because I knew those guys."

Perry matched his scoring career high and had his most points in an SEC game. He also had 26 points against Kent State earlier this season in a 96-68 Bulldogs victory. His previous scoring high against an SEC opponent was 23 points in a 72-45 victory over Missouri last week.

"Reggie's really playing phenomenal basketball on both ends," Mississippi State Coach Ben Howland said.

Perry hit 14 of 15 free throws against the Razorbacks

"We got the ball to Reggie inside, and he did a great job of playing through contact," Howland said. "I'm just so proud of how he's playing."

Long wait

Arkansas didn't hit a free throw until 2:55 left in the game, when Mason Jones made two.

Prior to that, Jimmy Whitt was 0 of 3 and Adrio Bailey was 0 of 2.

The Razorbacks finished 6 of 11 on free throws, including Whitt hitting two with 1:25 left.

Mississippi State hit 27 of 31 free throws and was called for 15 fouls to 23 for Arkansas.

"We're not going to blame it on the calls," said Jones, who was 4 of 4 on free throws. "We really weren't attacking the rim like they were. And they're at home, but I feel like the refs were even this game."

Bailey, who missed the front end of two one-and-ones, is 1 of 8 on free throws in the past two games.

Mississippi State forward Reggie Perry hit 14 of 15 free throws.

"We put them on the line a lot," Jones said. "We really put ourselves in a bad position."

Bulldogs Coach Ben Howland said forcing teams to foul is a big part of Mississippi State's game plan.

"It was incredible for us to get to the free-throw line, and that's how we've got to play," Howland said. "We're bigger than everybody, and we've got to utilize that on the boards and to get to the foul line."

Baskets for Cylla

Arkansas senior forward Jeantal Cylla, who hadn't made a basket since Nov. 22 against South Dakota, had two in a 2:31 span in the first half Wednesday night.

Cylla scored on a layup at the 12:08 mark, then hit a three-pointer with 9:37 left in the half.

"I thought Cylla did a phenomenal job," Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman said. "I thought he was awesome in his minutes played."

Cylla, who finished the game with five points on just the two shots, played 13 minutes in the first half and three in the second half.

Musselman was asked whether he thought about playing Cylla more in the second half.

"No. I think that was a pretty good role for him," Musselman said. "I think it was good for him to build his confidence up. But I did think he played really well."

Cylla, a 6-7 graduate transfer from North Carolina-Wilmington, went 13 games without a basket -- going 0 of 5 -- after he hit 3 of 7 in the Razorbacks' 77-56 victory over South Dakota.

Cylla's only point in that span came against Ole Miss on Jan. 11 when he it 1 of 4 free throws. In the 15 games that Cylla has played in this season, he has 22 points and is 9 of 28 from the floor.

Old man Whitt

Bulldogs Coach Ben Howland was impressed by Arkansas senior Jimmy Whitt, who scored 20 points on 9 of 15 shots -- all on mid-range jumpers or drives to the basket.

"I'm absolutely impressed with Whitt and his ability to create shots," Howland said. "He plays like he's an NBA veteran that's 33 years old.

"His feel for the game and how to bump guys to create a little space to get his shot off, he's uncanny."

Streaking 'Dogs

Mississippi State extended its winning streak over Arkansas to five games, which matches the Bulldogs' longest streak in the series.

The Bulldogs started their current streak with a 78-46 victory over the Razorbacks in Humphrey Coliseum in 2016 -- after Arkansas had won five in a row over Mississippi State.

Mississippi State also won five in a row over Arkansas from 2004-06.

Arkansas is now 33-30 all-time against Mississippi State, including 28-26 in SEC matchups. The Bulldogs improved to 22-7 against the Razorbacks in Starkville.

Solid defense

Arkansas held Mississippi State to 38.6% shooting from the floor (22 of 57).

"I thought we played pretty solid defense the whole game," Razorbacks Coach Eric Musselman said. "We know we're not a good rebounding team, but we were close enough to win the game."

Mississippi State came into the game at plus-9.2 in rebounding margin in SEC games and Arkansas was minus-11.6, but the Bulldogs were only a plus-10 against the Razorbacks with a 41-31 advantage.

Mason Jones and Isaiah Joe, both 6-5 guards, led Arkansas with seven rebounds apiece. It was the most rebounds for Joe in an SEC game in his two seasons at Arkansas, surpassing his six against Alabama last season.

Senior Adrio Bailey, Arkansas' tallest starter at 6-6, had four rebounds in 20 minutes. Reggie Chaney, a 6-8 sophomore forward, had 8 points and 2 rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench.

"Reggie did a great job finishing inside," Musselman said of Chaney going 4 of 5 from the field. "We do need Adrio and Reggie to rebound more at their position, without question. At that five spot, they've got to come up with more than [six] rebounds in their minutes."

See you in Feb.

This is a season in which Arkansas and Mississippi State play home-and-home games. The Bulldogs will visit Walton Arena on Feb. 15 for a noon tipoff on the SEC Network.

Arkansas (14-4, 3-3 SEC)

DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT

Nov. 5 Rice W, 91-43

Nov. 12 North Texas W, 66-43

Nov. 16 Montana+ W, 64-46

Nov. 19 Texas Southern+ W, 82-51

Nov. 22 South Dakota+ W, 77-56

Nov. 25 at Ga. Tech W, 62-61 (OT)

Nov. 30 N. Kentucky+ W, 66-60

Dec. 3 Austin Peay W, 69-61

Dec. 7 at W. Kentucky L, 86-79 (OT)

Dec. 14 Tulsa W, 98-79

Dec. 21 Valparaiso^ W, 72-68

Dec. 29 at Indiana W, 71-64

Jan. 4 Texas A&M* W, 69-59

Jan. 8 at LSU* L, 79-77

Jan. 11 at Mississippi* W, 76-72

Jan. 15 Vanderbilt* W, 75-55

Jan. 18 Kentucky* L, 73-66

Jan. 22 at Miss. State* L, 77-70

Jan. 25 TCU# 3 p.m.

Jan. 29 South Carolina* 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 1 at Alabama* 5 p.m.

Feb. 4 Auburn* 6 p.m.

Feb. 8 at Missouri* 2:30 p.m.

Feb. 11 at Tennessee* 6 p.m.

Feb. 15 Miss. State* noon

Feb. 18 at Florida* 6 p.m.

Feb. 22 Missouri* noon

Feb. 26 Tennessee* 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 29 at Georgia* 5 p.m.

March 4 LSU* 6 p.m.

March 7 at Texas A&M* 3:30 p.m.

March 11-15 SEC Tournament,

Nashville, Tenn.

Sports on 01/23/2020