Mississippi State Tops Nebraska to Advance in Men’s NIT

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI/AP) — Aric Holman had 16 points and 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season, Lamar Peters was four assists shy of a NIT record with a career-high 14 and Mississippi State won its first post-season game since 2010 with a 66-59 victory over Nebraska on Wednesday night in the first round.

Mississippi State (23-11) is in the postseason for the first time since a 101-96 double-overtime loss to UMass in the 2012 NIT.

Abdul Ado added 15 points and nine boards for MSU, which plays at Baylor in the next round. Ado had 11 points, on 4-of-11 shooting, and seven rebounds in the first half to help MSU build a 33-28 lead. The Bulldogs’ leading scorer Quinndary Weatherspoon was held to eight points.

James Palmer Jr. had 13 points and Isaac Copeland Jr. added 12 for Nebraska (22-11), which was just 11-of-31 shooting in the first half and finished at 35.4 percent.

Anton Gill raced coast-to-coast for a layup to pull Nebraska to 61-57 with 42.8 seconds left but Xavian Stapleton answered with two free throws. The Cornhuskers missed 3-pointers on their next two possessions and MSU hit 3 of 4 free throws to seal it.