ATLANTIS, PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – No. 24 Michigan State's hot-and-cold offense upended an up-and-down Wichita State team, 77-72, in the Battle 4 Atlantis third-place game.
After trailing by 18 midway through the second half, WSU's defense turned up the pressure and changed the momentum. A 14-0 Shocker run made it a one-point game near the 4:00-mark.
WSU (5-2) had two chances to tie it in the final minute but couldn't convert.
McDuffie turned a steal into a fastbreak with 36 seconds remaining and the Shockers down a pair, but his pull-up jumper from 12-feet spun around the rim and out.
MSU (4-3) converted 1-of-2 free throws to go up 75-72, and WSU took a timeout with 10 seconds to play to strategize. Out of the break, Smith's long three-pointer missed the mark, and the Spartans secured the rebound and the victory.
Miles Bridges connected on two free throws – the last of his 21 points – to provide the final margin. Eron Harris, Matt McQuaid and Nick Ward each chipped in 13, and Lourawls "Tum Tum" Nairn dished out a game-high 12 assists.
Bridges hit four three-pointers in the second half and scored 10 of the Spartans' last 17 points to keep WSU at bay.
WSU's bench players provided 57 of the team's 72 points.
Darral Willis Jr. led the Shocker scoring with 16 points and also grabbed a team-high six rebounds. Smith (13),
Rauno Nurger (12) and McDuffie (10) also reached double-figures.
WSU finished its week in the Bahamas at 1-2. Consecutive losses to No. 10 Louisville (62-52) and No. 24 Michigan State came with similar themes: sluggish offensive starts, an extended first-half run from the opposition, and an uplifting but ultimately unsuccessful second-half comeback.
On Thursday, the Shockers were knotted 6-6 with Louisville before the Cardinals launched a 12-0 run. On Friday, WSU enjoyed a 20-19 lead before MSU's 13-0 push made it a 32-20 game near the 4:00-mark.
The Spartans went into the break up 10 on Harris' three-pointer with 17 seconds to play in the half.
MSU added to its lead and later preserved it with three-pointers, hitting 7-of-11 in the second half. Bridges started the run with back-to-back treys early, and Ward's layup made it an 18-point game with 11:53 to play.
Down but not out, the Shockers turned up the defensive pressure, forcing turnovers on each of the next five MSU possessions. By the 9:40-mark WSU was back to within a dozen.
MSU briefly regained its composure with buckets on its next three trips to go up 66-51 with 8:05 remaining, but another four-minute scoring drought would follow.
WSU took advantage, coming away with points on 10 of its next 12 possessions.
Shamet drained a three. He missed another attempt 30 seconds later, but Willis was there for a putback. Smith stole a pass near midcourt and streaked for an open layup. Reaves and Shamet combined for four free throws.
Smith struck again at 4:13, accelerating past defenders for a layup to cap a 14-0 Shocker run that sliced the Spartan lead to a single point, 66-65.
Cassius Winston rescued MSU with a three-pointer at 3:55. WSU got off multiple three-point attempts on its next possession but came up empty. After Morris was tagged with his fifth personal foul at 2:56, Ward converted two free throws to grown the MSU lead to 71-65.
Bridges hit the last of four second-half three-pointers to push the MSU advantage back to seven with just two minutes remaining.
McDuffie answered immediately with a three. Bridges missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Smith found a wide-open Willis underneath the basket for a slam to cut the deficit to 74-72 with 1:09 left.
Michigan State finished the game shooting 50 percent overall, while knocking down 11-of-25 attempts from long range. For the second straight game, the Shockers struggled shooting the ball, finishing at 35 percent from the field and 5-of-22 from three.
NOTES:
*A Shocker comeback win would have been the second-largest in school history. WSU trailed the Spartans by 18 with 11:53 to play. The 2013-14 Shockers overcame a 19-point second-half deficit to win at Missouri State and keep their unbeaten season alive.
*WSU lost back-to-back games for the first time in nearly 12 months. The Shockers dropped three-straight in the 2015 AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando to USC (Nov. 26), Alabama (Nov. 27) and Iowa (Nov. 29)… This is only the second two-game losing streak suffered by a Shocker team since February, 2013.
*WSU starters combined to go 4-of-23 with 15 points.
*Smith scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half.
* Wichita State returns to Charles Koch Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 29, when the Shockers host Southern Nazarene for a 7 p.m. tip on Cox Channel Extra 2122.
