Mississippi St holds off Marquette, 58-55 in Fort Myers win

Nov 21, 2022, 11:22 pm

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- — Dashawn Davis hit a pair of free throws with three seconds left to help Mississippi State hold off Marquette, 58-55 Monday night in the nightcap of the Fort Myers Tip-Off tournament's Beach Division.

The win sends the Bulldogs into Tuesday's championship game, where they will face Utah, a 68-64 winner over Georgia Tech.

Tyler Kolek single-handedly kept Marquette close, scoring 10 points over the final 4:45, starting with a 3 to give the Golden Eagles a 46-45 lead, and his layup at the three-minute mark tied the game at 48-48. Kolek's 3 with three seconds left got Marquette within a point, 56-55, and Kam Jones immediately fouled Davis, who converted both shots.

Eric Reed Jr. led Mississippi State (5-0) with 15 points. Davis, who was 3 of 4 from the line, added 12 points and Tolu Smith led the Bulldogs with 16 rebounds.

Kolek hit 4 of 6 from distance and finished with 16 points to lead Marquette (3-2). Jones added 14 points.

----