Mississippi State locked up second place in the SEC West and a bye in the opening round of the conference Tournament, downing host Arkansas 88-78 on Wednesday.

Ravern Johnson scored 25 points to lead the Bulldogs (16-13, 8-7 SEC), who pulled away with a 16-5 run in the second half. Kodi Augustus finished with 23 points and Renardo Sidney scored 14 points.

Rotnei Clarke’s 24 points paced Arkansas (18-11, 7-8 SEC), which could have earned the West’s second seed with a victory. Marshawn Powell scored 14 points with 13 rebounds for the Razorbacks.

Clarke’s three-point play gave the Razorbacks a 58-56 advantage with 10:23 to go, but Arkansas hit just one field goal in the next 6:23 as the Bulldogs took control. Augustus scored the first seven points of the run on two jumpers and a 3-pointer. Johnson added a 3-pointer, and Dee Bost’s free throw with 4:07 to go ended the run and gave Mississippi State a 72-63 lead.