Jarvis Varnado, Dee Bost lead Mississippi State to 82-80 win over late-charging Arkansas

Varnado leads Miss. St. to 82-80 win over Arkansas

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Jarvis Varnado had 17 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks for his second triple-double, and Mississippi State held on to beat Arkansas 82-80 on Thursday night.

The Bulldogs (14-3, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) opened an early 19-point lead, but had to repulse a late rally by the Razorbacks (7-9, 0-1), who cut it to three with 32 seconds left before falling.

Mississippi State failed to hit a field goal in the final 3:45 of the game and missed 4 of 8 free throws in the last 3:20, but held on to the win after Marshawn Powell scored 14 points in the final 8 minutes to pull Arkansas into contention.

Dee Bost finished with 20 points and six assists for the Bulldogs, hitting a late 3-pointer and two free throws in the final 25.6 seconds to help the Bulldogs win for the 11th time in 12 games. It was the fourth straight loss for the Razorbacks.