Stewart, Molinar lead Mississippi St. by Saint Louis in NIT

Published Mar. 20, 2021 7:47 p.m. ET

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — D.J. Stewart Jr. scored 20 points, Iverson Molinar added 19 and Mississippi State defeat Saint Louis 74-68 on Saturday to wrap up the first round of the NIT.

The Bulldogs (16-14) advance to the quarterfinals on Thursday against Richmond (14-8).

Derek Fountain added 10 points for the Bulldogs, who were 14 of 17 from the foul line in the second half, with Stewart going 3 of 4 in the final 39 seconds to clinch the win.

Javonte Perkins scored 21 points for the Billikens (14-7), who were playing in their 19th NIT but first since 2004. Hasahn French added 17 points and 10 rebounds, Jordan Goodwin scored 14 and Terrence Hargrove Jr. 10.

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Molinar hit four free throws in less than a minute and Fountain shook free for a dunk to put the Bulldogs on top 66-59 with 4:49 to play but a rash of turnovers allowed Saint Louis to cut the deficit 71-68 with under a minute to play. But after the last turnover, Cameron Matthews made a acrobatic steal to get the ball back, allowing Stewart to wrap it up.

Mississippi State shot 50% and outscored Saint Louis 18-8 from the foul line. The Billikens shot 42% but attempted 14 fewer shots.

Molinar had 11 points in the first half, five in a 9-0 run, to help the Bulldogs lead 33-26.

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For more AP college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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