Bulldogs ousted in 2 OTS

STARKVILLE, Miss . — Chaz Williams scored 28 points, Sean Carter added 20 and Massachusetts outlasted Mississippi State 101-96 in double overtime Tuesday night in the first round of the NIT.

Umass ( 23-11) won the marathon game by outscoring Mississippi State 11-6 in the second overtime. Williams shot 11 of 20 from the field, including 4 of 7 from three-point range.

“Coach [Derek Kellogg] just preached the will to win and that’s what I think our guys have as a collective group,” Williams said. “We just want to win. We’re tired of losing. We don’t want to go home yet and we did everything within our ability to make sure we didn’t go home.”

Williams, a 5-9 sophomore, briefly went down with a left knee injury, crashing hard to the floor and writhing in pain. But he never came off the court, providing several clutch moments down the stretch while playing 47 minutes.

“He means so much to the team that it’s difficult for me to take him out of the game,” Kellogg said. “He’s good and he’s tough.”

Javorn Farrell scored 16 points off the bench. Raphiael Putney added 10 points and 16 rebounds.

Umass had a 72-68 lead with 2:48 remaining in regulation, but Mississippi State’s Arnett Moultrie hit a turnaround shot and later made two free throws with 41.1 seconds left to tie it 72-72. The Bulldogs had a chance to win in regulation but Dee Bost’s 12-foot runner in traffic missed as time expired.

“Every time we threw a jab, Mississippi State came back

MASSACHUSETTS 101, MISSISSIPPI STATE 96, 2OT

with one of their own,” Kellogg said. “... I think we forced them to play smaller than they are accustomed to with our press. We were fortunate to come away with a win.”

Moultrie scored a careerhigh 34 points for Mississippi State (21-12). Bost added 20 points, 13 assists and 6 rebounds.

TENNESSEE 65, SAVANNAH STATE 51

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Jarnell Stokes scored 13 points and top-seeded Tennessee beat Savannah State.

Trae Golden had 11 points, and Yemi Makanjuola and Josh Richardson each added 10 for the Volunteers (19-14).

Tennessee led by as many as 17 in the first half, but Savannah State took advantage of sloppy play by the Vols early in the second half to pull within 37-35 with 13:12 to play.

Makanjuola blocked a shot, grabbed the rebound and passed to Golden, who hit a layup to spark an 8-0 run. The Vols hit 12 of 18 free throws in the second half to maintain control.

Rashad Hasaan scored 20 points to lead the eighth-seeded Tigers (21-12).

IOWA 84, DAYTON 75

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Freshman Aaron White scored a career-high 25 points, sophomore Zach Mccabe tied a career high with 20 and seventh-seeded Iowa rolled past Dayton,

Sophomore Melsahn Basabe added 15 points for the Hawkeyes (18-16).

Iowa, which was playing in its first postseason tournament game in six years, broke open a tie game with a 16-3 run midway through the second half to go ahead 65-52.

Kevin Dillard had 23 points for Dayton (20-13).

SETON HALL 63, STONY BROOK 61

SOUTH ORANGE, N. J. — Jordan Theodore scored 21 points, Herb Pope had 20 and Seton Hall snapped an 11game losing streak in the NIT by holding off Stony Brook.

The victory is the first for the topseeded Pirates ( 21- 12) in the event since 1956.

Stony Brook, the two-time regularseason champions of the American East Conference, didn’t make it easy. Bryan Dougher had a three-pointer bounce off the rim with about two seconds to go, and Tommy Brenton had a rebound follow roll off the rim at the buzzer.

Dallas Joyner had 14 points and nine rebounds for the Seawolves (22-10). Marcus Rouse added 13, and Dougher had 12.

MIDDLE TENNESSEE 86, MARSHALL 78

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Laron Dendy had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Middle Tennessee beat Marshall.

J.T. Sulton scored 16 points for Middle Tennessee (26-6), 14 in the first half. Shawn Jones added 15.

Damier Pitts led Marshall (21-14) with 19 points. Dennis Tinnon had 18 points and 11 rebounds.

NORTHWESTERN 76, AKRON 74

EVANSTON, Ill. — Drew Crawford scored 27 points, John Shurna added 23 and Northwestern held off Akron.

Jershon Cobb added 19 points for the fourth-seeded Wildcats (19-13).

Quincy Diggs led the fifth-seeded Zips (22-12) with 18 points. Zeke Marshall had 17, Chauncey Gilliam 12 and Nikola Cvetinovic 10.