Abdul Ado hadn’t even scored all day when the final seconds of Mississippi State’s crucial road matchup with Arkansas on Saturday ticked down.
The 6-foot-11 center was inserted into the contest with a minute and 30 seconds remaining for defensive purposes, yet his biggest contribution of the day came on the offensive end.
With Mississippi State trailing by one with six seconds remaining, Tyson Carter drove to the basket and put up a contested layup. The shot was off, spinning around the rim, with the Bulldogs’ NCAA tournament hopes hanging around the rim with it.
With two Arkansas defenders focused on Carter, the MSU center had the space to clean up Carter’s miss, converting the putback with .6 seconds remaining, stealing a road win from Arkansas. It was Ado’s only two points of the game.
“I heard Coach say to just make a play at the basket,” Carter told The Dispatch. “I knew if I missed it, there was a great chance it was going to get tipped in, and that’s what happened.”
MSU (16-9, 7-5 SEC) picked up its second Quadrant One victory of the season and what could eventually be remembered as a season-saving victory, taking down the Razorbacks (16-9, 4-8) at Bud Walton Arena, 78-77.
“It was an unbelievable last play,” MSU coach Ben Howland told The Dispatch. “Tyson did a great job getting downhill and to the basket, they had to come help, and it allowed Abdul to be all over the boards. Abdul made a huge play.”
Saturday wasn’t for the faint of heart. The Bulldogs blew a 17-point second-half lead, with Arkansas going up three points in the final two minutes, but key plays by Carter and Ado down the stretch ensured the victory.
“To have the 17-point lead and then them coming back to taking a 3-point lead, having the toughness as a team to hang in there and continue to have faith and believe is such a great moment for our team,” Howland said. “I’m so thankful.”
Considering the Bulldogs lost by 25 points to in-state rival Ole Miss on Tuesday, defeating Arkansas was necessary for MSU’s NCAA tournament resume. Elation took over the MSU locker room as a result, with Howland getting doused with a water bath the moment he entered the room. The fifth-year coach soaked it all in, then let out a celebratory scream with his players.
“That was really special,” Howland said. “It’s something I’ll never forget. I’m just so grateful to God and thankful for our players and our staff. It’s an unbelievable win for us.”
With the win, Mississippi State has now won six straight games against Arkansas, the most times the Bulldogs have beaten the Razorbacks in a row. It was the first time MSU had swept Arkansas in a regular season series since the 2010-2011 season.
The Bulldogs closed the first half on a 8-0 run in the final minute, capped off by Carter drilling a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give MSU a 40-32 lead. It was the only 3-point shot the Bulldogs made in the half. MSU shot an astounding 62.1 percent from the floor in the period.
Carter finished with 26 points off the bench, converting 8 of 14 shots and 8 of 10 free throws.
“I was pretty confident,” Carter said. “I’ve had past struggles, but I knew it wasn’t always going to be like that. I just wanted to fight through it and get into the gym.”
The Bulldogs came out of the locker room guns blazing, opening a 56-39 advantage, but Arkansas’ Mason Jones went to work. Jones was a wrecking ball offensively for the Razorbacks, as he finished with a game-high 38 points and was instrumental in his team’s comeback.
The Bulldogs shot 58.8 percent from the floor and made 15 of 22 free throws on the afternoon. After what he called “the worst game of his life” against Ole Miss on social media, Nick Weatherspoon contributed 10 points and three assists in the win. Reggie Perry, a former Arkansas commit, poured in 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds. D.J. Stewart was the other MSU player in double figures with 10.
“We fought through a lot of adversity and continued to fight hard,” Perry said.
MSU is back in action against South Carolina at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Humphrey Coliseum.
“It meant a lot,” Carter said of the win. “We have a lot of fun out there. We just want to get back on track and get to where we want to be.”
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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