Senior night nearly detoured into fight night before playing out close enough to the way Arkansas would have scripted its final home game. The Razorbacks continued their resurgence, delivering an aggressive and emotionally charged performance Wednesday night in a game that featured four technical fouls in 25 seconds, a scorching three-point display and a little late drama. It all added up to an 80-70 victory over Mississippi State before a season-high Walton Arena crowd of 19, 833. Jonathon Modica scored 26
1 points, 20 during a 5 / 2-minute stretch — a three-pointer to end the first half and the rest in the first 5: 16 of the second half. Ronnie Brewer added 23 points, and the Razorbacks (20-8, 9-6 SEC ) shot 50. 9 percent.
Reginald Delk scored 27 for Mississippi State (14-14, 4-11 ). He and Modica combined for 13 three-pointers, and the teams made 22 threes total.
Modica, Eric Ferguson and Dontell Jefferson, all seniors, played their last home game.
“I just want to celebrate today with the seniors and give them a lot of credit for their role in helping build the program back to the NCAA Tournament,” Arkansas Coach Stan Heath said.
It’s the first time in five years the Razorbacks have reached 20 victories and won four consecutive league games. It’s also been that long since they played in the NCAA Tournament, a reward they have all but guaranteed with their late-season push.
The seniors will remember part of their sendoff for the tempers that flared between the teams.
Officials called a double technical foul on Vincent Hunter and Mississippi State’s Charles Rhodes with five minutes left in the first half after Hunter fouled Rhodes and they went face to face under the basket. Twenty-five seconds later, Ferguson and Jamont Gordon bumped chests, exchanged words at halfcourt and were hit with technicals.
It wouldn’t be unusual for a team to go an entire season without being involved in four technicals.
Gordon became stuck against the halfcourt line holding the ball and tried to call timeout. No official signaled timeout immediately, so Ferguson slapped at the ball and Gordon “tried to hit me in my face,” Ferguson said. “Then I pushed him back.”
Modica, Brewer and other teammates started toward the dustup before being herded back to the bench.
“We’re a tough team,” Ferguson said. “We’ve been playing with a lot of confidence, and if any team tries to beat on us we’re going to fight back.”
Gordon said Ferguson initiated the exchange.
“I called a timeout and I was holding the ball, and he came over and slapped it,” Gordon said. “When that happened, it fired them up.”
Brewer said: “We’re all men out here so you’re not going to back down and move out of the way. I think it gave us some momentum. Our fans stayed in the game. It pumped us up a lot and made us fight a little harder down the stretch.”
Energy has been high at home throughout conference play but emotions moved even higher Wednesday night with the seniors being honored before tipoff.
“I know I was kind of a basket case on the sideline, too,” Heath said
The Hogs played tight early and then became aggressive, taking the ball inside, finishing plays and drawing fouls. During one stretch of five field goals, four were dunks.
Modica buried a three just before halftime to give Arkansas a 36-28 lead, the first of six consecutive threes he attempted and made spanning into the second half. The last one banked in.
“Basket was an ocean,” Heath said.
Modica made a layup on the following possession and stung his ankle when he came down. He left the game briefly to a standing ovation, got the ankle retaped and returned quickly.
Modica’s shooting exhibition fueled a 15-0 Arkansas run and pushed the lead to 20 points less than three minutes into the second half. The lead grew as large as 22 with 12: 49 to play when the Razorbacks’ emotion started to wane, Heath said.
Mississippi State, statistically the league’s worst three-point shooting team (. 283 ), started pouring in threes. The Bulldogs pulled within eight points three times, including 70-62 with 4: 32 left.
Bulldogs Coach Rick Stansbury, who called five timeouts in the game’s first 33 minutes trying to cool Arkansas’ scoring runs, had to leave two players back home sick. Starter Dietric Slater left with an injury six minutes into the game, scuttling Stansbury’s small, quick lineup that he hoped could offset Arkansas’ height advantage.
Four freshmen and a sophomore finished the game but couldn’t overcome Arkansas’ senior presence. Ferguson made back-to-back baskets to help hold off the rally.
Heath called timeout with 18. 9 seconds left to substitute so his seniors could leave the court to one last ovation.
