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Mississippi State 71, South Florida 66
[December 23, 2013] LAS VEGAS — Mississippi State 71, South Florida 66: Fred Thomas had 14 points and Gavin Ware recorded 10 points and 15 rebounds as the Bulldogs edged the Bulls at the Las Vegas Classic.
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Mississippi State (9-2) won its fourth in a row thanks in
large part to Thomas, who made four 3-pointers, and Ware, who
notched his fourth double-double of the season. The Bulldogs,
who will face UNLV in Monday's championship game, forced 18
turnovers and held a slight 32-31 rebounding advantage. Victor Rudd scored 17 points for South Florida (8-3), which had
won four straight games and will meet Santa Clara in Monday's
consolation game. Chris Perry chipped in 14 points and nine
rebounds. Following a first half in which Mississippi State outscored
South Florida 38-35, the Bulls rallied to take the lead on
Javontae Hawkins' dunk with 15:41 to play. The Bulldogs then
took control for a stretch en route to a 58-52 lead with under
10 minutes left. Corey Allen Jr.'s two free throws got South Florida within 67-64
with 1:05 remaining and after Mississippi State's Colin Borchert
made 1-of-2, Perry knocked down a pair of free throws to make it
a two-point game. Thomas converted a pair of foul shots before
the Bulls came up empty on their next possession to essentially
seal their fate. GAME NOTEBOOK: Allen finished with 16 points and four assists before fouling out. ... In addition to Thomas and Ware, three other players scored in double figures for Mississippi State — Borchert (11), Roquez Johnson (10) and Craig Sword (10). ... IJ Ready had a game-high seven assists for the Bulldogs. [© 2013 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.] Copyright 2013 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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