Gassed by a dominant Texas Tech defense, the Spartans put together one final rally, chopping a 13-point deficit to one point with 2:52 to play. The Red Raiders’ All-American Jarrett Culver answered with six straight points to lead his team past MSU and into the championship game. The final score a 61-51 victory for Texas Tech on Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
MSU had a chance to tie late, but Matt McQuaid missed an open 3-point shot from the corner with under 2 minutes to play. The Spartans end their season with an overall record of 32-7. Senior point guard Cassius Winston scored 16 points. He only made 4 of his 16 attempts from the floor as MSU shot 31.9% from the field.
MSU coach Tom Izzo drops to 3-7 all-time in the Final Four, with two victories in 2000 to win the national title and a 2009 win over Connecticut, before losing to North Carolina in the final.
Texas Tech (31-6) advances to Monday night’s championship game against Virginia, who defeated Auburn, 63-62, on Kyle Guy’s controversial three free throws with 0.6 seconds remaining. Matt Mooney led the Red Raiders with 22 points. He went 8 for 16 shooting from the floor, including 13 points in the second half. Texas Tech shot 56% after the halftime break. McQuaid had 12 points in his final MSU game, and freshman Aaron Henry scored 11 points.
MSU made just 7 of 23 shots in the opening period but held Texas Tech to 8 of 26 from the field.
Media in this article is courtesy of CBS Sports and the NCAA. For more college, pro and high school sports, follow us on Twitter @MWSNsports or like our page on Facebook.
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