No. 22 Michigan State pulls away late in big win over No. 14 Arkansas

Freshman Cameron Ward had 18 points and 10 rebounds off the bench as No. 22 Michigan State held off No. 14 Arkansas, 69-66, in East Lansing, Mich. on Saturday night.

Coen Carr supplied 15 points and seven rebounds for Michigan State (2-0), while Jaxon Kohler added 10 points with seven rebounds.

Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas had 16 points apiece for the Razorbacks (1-1). D.J. Wagner tossed in 13 points.

Neither side led by more than six points in the first half. Acuff led Arkansas with 10 points as the Razorbacks reached the break with a 39-36 lead.

Thomas had nine first-half points, while Wagner and Billy Richmond III each contributed eight. Ward and Carr led the Spartans, who misfired on all seven of their 3-point attempts, with 12 points apiece. Michigan State lived in the paint, outscoring Arkansas 26-16 in that area.

A pair of inside buckets by Kohler during 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 five points until Cooper converted an alley-oop pass from Jeremy Fears Jr. to make it 59-53. Carr nudged the lead to eight points with a pair of free throws.

Arkansas closed the gap 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 pull the Razorbacks within one at 66-65.

Following a Michigan State turnover, Pringle split free throws to tie the game. Cooper then split free throws with 1:21 left to put the Spartans back on top.

Cooper blocked an Acuff shot on Arkansas' next possession. Fears then made two free throws for a 69-66 Spartans lead. Thomas missed a pair of shots, forcing Pringle to foul Jordan Scott, who missed both free throws.

Acuff and Trevor Brazile misfired on 3-point attempts in the final five seconds.

--Field Level Media