Dontae' Jones scored 28 points as No. 25 Mississippi State ended top-ranked Kentucky's impressive run through the Southeastern Conference with a 84-73 victory Sunday in the championship game of the league's tournament.
Kentucky (28-2), which had won four straight SEC tournament championships, had the nation's longest winning streak at 27 games. The Wildcats had also won 26 straight games against conference opponents, dating to a home loss to the same Bulldogs on Feb. 14, 1995.Mississippi State (22-7) was playing in the SEC tournament final for the first time since 1933, the league's first.
Mississippi State was only the second team to lead Kentucky at halftime this season. But the Bulldogs held on after building the 43-38 lead.
Consecutive 3-pointers by Jones pushed Mississippi State's lead to 49-38 with 18:44 left. The Wildcats got within 10 points only one other time, after Anthony Epps hit a 3-pointer despite being fouled and then hit the free throw for a 77-68 score with 2:45 left.
The Bulldogs opened the second half with a 20-6 run, building their biggest lead when Darryl Wilson's second straight 3-pointer made it 63-44 with 13:41 left.
Jones, who scored 17 points in the first half, scored 10 in the opening second-half spurt. Jones was named tournament MVP after shooting 12-of-18 in the championship game and 28-of-41 (68 percent) in the tournament.
Wilson added 22 points for Mississippi State, which shot 54 percent (31-of-57) and overcame 21 turnovers.
Tony Delk had 16 points for Kentucky, which shot a season-low 33 percent (24-of-72), while Walter McCarty added 15.
Kentucky, its 24-point average winning margin the best in the country, overcame its only other halftime deficit this season. The Wildcats trailed Georgia Tech 41-38 on Dec. 9, rallying to win 83-60.
Kentucky had only one sustained run Sunday. The Wildcats scored 10 straight points after State led 11-5. But Jones scored nine straight for the Bulldogs, his short bank shot with 11:53 left providing a 14-13 lead.
The margin stayed at four points until State scored seven points in the final 1:13 of the half.
No. 23 Iowa St. 56,
No. 5 Kansas 55
At Kansas City, Mo., Dedric Willoughby, the Big Eight's best free throw shooter, made two foul shots with 5.5 seconds to play as No. 23 Iowa State edged No. 5 Kansas 56-55 Sunday for the conference tournament championship and automatic NCAA tournament bid.
Willoughby, who finished with 20 points, was fouled by Jacque Vaughn after Raef LaFrentz had given the Jayhawks a one-point lead with 7.1 seconds to play by making two free throws.
Vaughn then took the inbounds pass and dribbled the length of the floor before missing a 7-foot bank shot and time ran out as players fought for the rebound.
Vaughn was whistled for putting a hand on Willoughby's back as he brought the ball up the court after taking the inbounds pass following LaFrentz's free throws. Iowa State was in the bonus.
LaFrentz had dropped in both free throws after he was fouled by Kelvin Cato as he tried to put back a rebound.
Iowa State's Paul Pierce had missed a 3-point try, and Scot Pollard kept a long rebound alive, knocking it to LaFrentz who wrapped up by Cato under the basket as he went up.
Pollard hit a free throw with 1:58 left to tie the game at 51-51 and then put the Jayhawks (26-4) ahead on a basket with 1:11 to play.
But Iowa State (23-8) went back ahead with 42.7 seconds left when Jacy Holloway made a 3-pointer for his only points of the game.
No. 12 Wake Forest 75,
No. 18 Georgia Tech 74
At Greensboro, N.C., Tim Duncan assured himself a place in Atlantic Coast Conference championship history on Sunday, and Jerry Braswell saved the day with four clutch free throws as No. 12 Wake Forest fought off No. 18 Georgia Tech 75-74.
With the victory, the Demon Deacons (23-5) claimed the automatic NCAA tournament invitation that goes with the title.
For Duncan, it meant several prominent entries in the tournament record book although he was almost the tournament goat.
Duncan had 27 points and 21 rebounds. He became the sixth player in the 43-year history of the ACC tournament with a 20-point, 20-rebound game. His rebounds gave him a three-day total of 55, breaking the mark of 54 set by North Carolina State's Ronnie Shavlik. He was a unanimous pick as the tournament's most valuable player.
Twice, Georgia Tech got the gap down to 1 after trailing by as many as 16 in the second half. A 3-pointer by Michael Maddox drew the Yellow Jackets to 71-70 with 50.1 seconds to go.
Braswell, a 71 percent free throw shooter who had to sit out an academic suspension earlier in the season, sank his first two free throws with 42.6 seconds to go. Following a driving basket by Stephon Marbury, Braswell hit the next two with 32.7 seconds to go.
Marbury's two free throws with 19.4 seconds drew the Yellow Jackets to what would be the final score.
Duncan missed two free throws with 18 seconds left. Marbury tried for the game winner, but with Braswell on him, he bounced his shot off the side of the backboard.
Steven Goolsby missed a pair with 2.3 seconds left. Drew Barry's desperation shot from just beyond half-court hit only the backboard.
Georgia Tech (22-11) brought a nine-game conference winning streak into the tournament final. That stretch of success was snapped at the hands of Duncan and his supporting cast, whose torrid start was nearly too much for the Yellow Jackets to overcome.
The Demon Deacons hit their first four shots, six of their first seven and 12 of their first 15. Georgia Tech was mired in a 2-for-9 start and found itself trailing 19-5 in the first six minutes.
The only salvation for the Yellow Jackets was the 3-point shot. Stephon Marbury hit three of them. Even that bit of hope went dry - the Yellow Jackets went without a basket in the final five minutes, 18 seconds, an 0-for-9 spell that gave Wake Forest a big opening.
Tony Rutland added 15 points for Wake Forest before sitting out with a right knee injury. Marbury finished with 26 points.