COL BKB: Mississippi St 83, Arkansas-LR 53

STARKVILLE, Miss., Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Lawrence Roberts scored 27 points Saturday night to lead No. 23 Mississippi State to an 83-53 victory over Arkansas-Little Rock.

Roberts, the reigning Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, hit 8-of-16 from the floor and 10-of-15 from the line for the Bulldogs (7-2).

Zack Wright and Darius had 15 and 12 points respectively for the Trojans (4-4).

Arkansas-Little Rock held a surprising lead at 19-18 with less than 10 minutes left in the first half. However, Mississippi State used a quick 9-0 spurt to regain the lead at 27-19 moments later.

The Trojans closed to 27-24 with just over five minutes remaining in the half, but the Bulldogs led 42-24 at intermission.