Courtesy of UMassAthletics.com.
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Chaz Williams scored 28 and Sean Carter added a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds as Massachusetts outlasted Mississippi State, 101-96 in double overtime in the First Round of the National Invitation Tournament at Humphrey Coliseum Tuesday night.
UMass improves to 23-11 and advances to the second round where the No. 5 seed Minutemen will face No. 1 seed Seton Hall. The game will be played at Walsh Gymnasium on the Seton Hall campus sometime between Friday and Monday and will be announced by the NIT.
“People talk about signature wins and that was a big, big, big win for our program,” head coach Derek Kellogg said. “The kids kept fighting and playing. That was a big time win in here where they always put out a big time team.
“To come away with a victory over a team with a lottery pick was huge.”
Raphiael Putney added a double-double with 10 points and 16 rebounds. The Minutemen outrebounded the Bulldogs 56-41. Additionally, UMass collected 21 offensive boards that they converted into a 24-7 edge in second-chance points.
Javorn Farrell was key off the bench with 16 points including a big three and driving dunk in the first overtime.
Mississippi State (21-12) was led by Arnett Moultrie’s 34 points. Dee Bost had 20 points and 13 assists.
UMass was solid from the free throw line throughout the game, finishing 14-of-19 and 8-of-9 in the two overtime sessions.
UMass led much of the game until the Bulldogs staged a comeback late in the second half. After a Carter dunk with 11:29 left in the second half gave UMass a 62-51 lead, Mississippi State went on a 12-0 run holding UMass scoreless for the next 5 minutes, 38 seconds. A Brian Bryant lay-up with 8:05 to go gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game, 63-62.
Carter tied the game after that at the 5:51 mark on a free throw and the Minutemen were able to push the lead to four over the next three minutes.
A Moultrie jumper followed by a pair of free throws tied the game at 72-72 with 41 seconds to play. UMass had a chance to win in the final seconds of regulation, but a Williams driving lay-up missed the rim and Carter’s tip-in attempt was reviewed and deemed no good after the shot clock expired.
UMass shot 43 percent for the contest and improved to 3-0 in NIT overtime games. The Minutemen also moved to 6-7 all-time in double-OT ball games, playing its first since 2005.
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