Mississippi State Pulls Away Late Versus UTEP, 61-54
Lamar Peters scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half, including a series of big three-pointers, as Mississippi State edged UTEP 61-54 in the fifth-place game of the Gildan Charleston Classic on Sunday afternoon.
The Bulldogs (3-1) trailed 43-35 with about 13 minutes left when a four-point play by Peters ignited a 9-0 Bulldog run. The Miners (2-2) regained a 45-44 lead on two free throws by Kelvin Jones with 10:18 remaining, but Mississippi State scored the next five points.
The Bulldogs were clinging to a 53-51 lead when Peters buried another triple at the 3:13 mark. Peters also had the dagger with 51 seconds left in a 56-54 game.
“The four-point play, that can happen,” UTEP coach Tim Floyd said. “That kid had not made a shot all year and he made four big ones tonight , so you give him credit. He also made a couple of nice plays off penetration and kicks in the screen and roll.”
The Miners will be home for six of their next seven games, starting on Wednesday when they host Southeastern Louisiana at 7 p.m. All tickets are $8 and $10 for this game and are available by calling 747-5234.
