Freshman Cameron Ward had 18 factors and 10 rebounds off the bench as No. 22 Michigan State held off No. 14 Arkansas, 69-66, in East Lansing, Mich. on Saturday evening.
Coen Carr equipped 15 factors and 7 rebounds for Michigan State (2-0), whereas Jaxon Kohler added 10 factors with seven rebounds.
Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas had 16 factors apiece for the Razorbacks (1-1). D.J. Wagner tossed in 13 factors.
Neither aspect led by greater than six factors within the first half. Acuff led Arkansas with 10 factors because the Razorbacks reached the break with a 39-36 lead.
Thomas had 9 first-half factors, whereas Wagner and Billy Richmond III every contributed eight. Ward and Carr led the Spartans, who misfired on all seven of their 3-point makes an attempt, with 12 factors apiece. Michigan State lived within the paint, outscoring Arkansas 26-16 in that space.
A pair of inside buckets by Kohler throughout a 7-1 Michigan State spurt gave the Spartans a 45-42 lead with 16:28 to go.
Their lead continued to fluctuate between three and 5 factors till Cooper transformed an alley-oop move from Jeremy Fears Jr. to make it 59-53. Carr nudged the result in eight factors with a pair of free throws.
Arkansas closed the hole on a Malique Ewin dunk off an Acuff feed and a Thomas 3-pointer. Thomas then fed Nick Pringle for a dunk with 2:43 remaining to drag the Razorbacks inside one at 66-65.
Following a Michigan State turnover, Pringle cut up free throws to tie the sport. Cooper then cut up free throws with 1:21 left to place the Spartans again on prime.
Cooper blocked an Acuff shot on Arkansas’ subsequent possession. Fears then made two free throws for a 69-66 Spartans lead. Thomas missed a pair of pictures, forcing Pringle to foul Jordan Scott, who missed each free throws.
Acuff and Trevor Brazile misfired on 3-point makes an attempt within the remaining 5 seconds.
–Subject Stage Media
