NIT ROUNDUP | Tuesday's game

Mississippi St. 86, Florida St. 71
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Jamont Gordon had 16 points and seven assists and Mississippi State neutralized one of college basketball's most dynamic players to beat Florida State and advance to the NIT semifinals. The North Region's top-seeded Bulldogs (21-13) held Al Thornton to 22 minutes and 16 points for the second-seeded Seminoles (22-13) and will play the winner of the North Carolina State-West Virginia game in the NIT semifinals next Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. Thornton drew two personal fouls in the first 4 minutes of the game, then two more in the first 5 minutes of the second half. Without their star, the Seminoles wilted under Mississippi State's ball-hawking man-to-man defense. The Bulldogs' pressure resulted in 15 steals and 25 turnovers, and the game would have been out of hand midway through the first half without the play of Florida State's Isaiah Swan. Swan scored 28 points, including eight 3-pointers, to keep the game within reach.
Associated Press
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