STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) _ Victoria Vivians scored 29 points, Morgan William added a season-high 18 and No. 5 Mississippi State beat Arkansas 111-69 on Thursday night.Mississippi State (16-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) broke a fairly tight game open in the third quarter by outscoring Arkansas 30-18. Vivians made all seven of her shots during the run, pouring in 15 points.
Vivians finished 13 of 20 from the field and had nine rebounds. Teaira McCowan scored 18 points, Blair Schaefer added 14 and Roshunda Johnson had 13.
Arkansas (10-5, 1-1) was intent on limiting McCowan’s impact in the first half, doubling Mississippi State’s 6-foot-7 center at every opportunity. That strategy kept McCowan’s numbers down, but it also left William open for 15-foot jumpers and she scored all of her 18 points to give the Bulldogs a 49-39 halftime lead.
The Razorbacks were led Jailyn Mason, who scored 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
BIG PICTURE
Arkansas: The Razorbacks pushed the pace on offense and gave the Bulldogs some trouble, especially in the first half. Arkansas looked like it got tired in the second half, but for much of the night, it was an encouraging performance for a program building under first-year coach Mike Neighbors.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs continue to roll, even during a night when McCowan wasn’t at her best. Vivians was honored for passing 2,000 career points before Thursday’s game and then showed off her skills once again. Mississippi State shot nearly 58 percent from the field.
UP NEXT
Arkansas hosts Alabama on Sunday.
Mississippi State travels to face LSU on Sunday.
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