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MSU opens two-game lead on UA Sunday, Feb 17, 2008 By Harry King STARKVILLE, Miss. - Down the stretch, Mississippi State's position was so precarious that the students almost forgot to boo Gary Ervin. Much earlier, MSU coach Rick Stansbury sensed that the yuck-yucks were over. Unwilling to wait seconds for the first mandatory timeout of the half, he called a T.O. at 16:13. MSU's lead, expanded to 15 in the first minute of the second half, was down to five. Before getting further along, Arkansas lost. MSU 80, Arkansas 74 is what matters most. Arkansas fans need to get past that and dig into the details, taking heart in the grit of their team. Presented with countless opportunities to fold, the Razorbacks hung in - an attitude they need to replicate the final six games of the SEC season, beginning Wednesday night against LSU in Fayetteville. For the second time this year, LSU is a must-win for the Razorbacks. They got the job done in Baton Rouge after two straight Southeastern Conference losses and they must defend at Walton Arena to have any chance of erasing MSU's two-game lead in the Western Division. On Wednesday night, I said something about waiting to see Arkansas in a face-to-face final few minutes in front of a tough crowd. By crunch time, Arkansas was out of the Tennessee game. On Saturday afternoon, they were back and forth with the Bulldogs until Sonny Weems' shot failed, Darian Townes missed with the rebound, and Jarvis Varnado was fouled. He made one of two for 79-73 with 30.6 to play. Jamont Gordon, who made only one field goal, but chased Weems most of the game, blocked Patrick Beverley's long one right to Arkansas coach John Pelphrey. Gordon smiled broadly. Moments later, he finished the game, holding the ball, while Weems watched. When it ended, they hugged. Arkansas' last lead was 68-67 with 6:33 to play and constantly playing from behind can wear on a team, particularly a visiting team with little success on the road. As a whole, the following sequence could have finished the Razorbacks: Vincent Hunter missed two 3s, Gordon muscled over Hill for 71-68, Weems missed a 3, Darian Townes lost control on the way to the basket, Hunter fouled to prevent dunk, and Jarvis Varnado made two from the line. The response? MSU went into a zone for the first time and Weems, who attempted some tough shots, made one coming across the floor. Gordon kicked the ball out to Barry Stewart for an open 3, but Weems ran at him and Stewart rushed it a hair. Hunter missed another 3, Ervin rebounded, and Weems missed. Stewart made two free throws for 75-70, but Ervin took it hard to the basket and made a free throw. He missed the second and Varnado added another free throw. Ervin should be singled out for keeping his eyes dead ahead and refusing to acknowledge the derision that began long before the opening tip. He had to hear some of the specifics, but he bucked up and competed throughout the final minutes. Ervin, who played two years for Stansbury and then transferred to Fayetteville, scored eight of his 15 points in the second half, including: -A jumper for Arkansas' 55-53 lead at 12:26. -A 3 that broke a 61-61 tie at 9:30. -A jumper that kept Arkansas in it, 76-73, at 1:32. Right after Stansbury's early timeout, Steven Hill tipped in Weems' miss for 51-48. For the next 12 minutes, neither team led by more than four. "Instead of letting them attack us, we attacked them," Pelphrey said when asked about the way his team played in the second half. Arkansas played Charles Rhodes straight up most of the first half and he made the Razorbacks pay with 19 points. In the second half, Hill often came over to help and Rhodes was exposed as a mere mortal. In fact, Hill blocked Rhodes' attempts on consecutive possessions as the Razorbacks closed ground. He added third a few moments later. It also helped that MSU committed three turnovers in the opening minutes of the half. In the 20-point loss at Fayetteville on Jan. 30, MSU had 13 turnovers in the first half and fell behind by 15. On Saturday, the Bulldogs had five turnovers in the first half and led by 13. This Arkansas team is still a work in progress and the Starkville experience can be positive. We'll see. ---- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
