Mississippi State Bulldogs at Arkansas Razorbacks

Okorie helps No. 4 Mississippi State down Arkansas, 59-51

Behind 14 points and a career-best 15 rebounds from Chinwe Okorie, the Bulldogs (16-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) led throughout but narrowly held on.

"I think, to be honest with you, we may have a couple kids who are feeling a little bit of the number," Schaefer said. "The 15-0, it's more the 0 than the 15, and I think we were a little tight tonight, quite honestly."

Morgan William had 15 points to lead Mississippi State, which has ascended to a program-best ranking with its fast start, while Victoria Vivians added 13 points on 5-of-19 shooting.

Arkansas entered Thursday looking for its first win over a ranked opponent in nearly a year, having last defeated then-No. 24 Missouri on Jan. 17, 2016. The Razorbacks trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half, but they closed to within 51-49 late in the game.

"I honestly don't think it's the zero (losses)," Bulldogs junior guard Blair Schaefer said. "... I think sometimes we think we can just kick it on for game time, and tonight showed sometimes it's not that way."

BIG PICTURE

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs are one of three unbeaten teams remaining in the country, joining No. 1 UConn and No. 18 Virginia Tech. They have four games remaining before a key regular-season matchup at No. 5 South Carolina on Jan. 23.

HALFTIME ADJUSTMENT

UP NEXT

Mississippi State puts its unbeaten start to the season on the line when it travels to Tennessee on Sunday.

Arkansas hosts LSU on Sunday.

How can I watch Bulldogs vs. Razorbacks?

• TV Channel: Bulldogs vs Razorbacks 2021 College Basketball, week 9, is broadcasted on SECN+.
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Location: Fayetteville, AR
Attendance: 1,233 | Capacity: