Field Level Media
Nov 20, 2018
Kimani Lawrence scored a career-high 22 points, including a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 37 seconds remaining, and Arizona State beat No. 15 Mississippi State 72-67 on Monday in the semifinals of the MGM Resorts Main Event in Las Vegas.
The Sun Devils will play Utah State in the tournament final Wednesday. Mississippi State will oppose Saint Mary's in a consolation game.
Luguentz Dort had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Sun Devils (4-0), who lost all of an 18-point, first-half lead before recovering in the final minute. Remy Martin had 16 points and seven assists, and Zylan Cheatham had 12 points and nine rebounds for Arizona State.
Aric Holman compiled 22 points and 10 rebounds, Nick Weatherspoon had 13 points and Quinndary Weatherspoon had 12 points for the Bulldogs (3-1), who had risen two spots in the latest AP Top 25 released Monday.
Arizona State used a 26-6 run to take a 39-21 lead late in the first half. The Sun Devils were up by 15 at halftime before the Bulldogs opened the second half on a 10-0 run to get back in the game. It was close most of the rest of the way.
Holman's 3-pointer with 2:45 remaining got the Bulldogs within 65-63, and Nick Weatherspoon tied the game on a jumper with 1:02 remaining.
Lawrence's open 3-pointer from the right corner put the Sun Devils back in front, and Martin hit two free throws with 18 seconds remaining for a five-point lead. After Lamar Peters sank two free throws, Lawrence scored on a dunk.
Peters finished with 10 points.
Arizona State shot 44.8 percent from the field and limited the Bulldogs to 36.2 percent shooting. The Bulldogs made 8 of 30 3-point attempts to Arizona State's 7 of 17. The Sun Devils also had a 40-34 rebounding edge
--Field Level Media