D.J. Stewart Jr. set the tone with 19 first half points, Iverson Molinar did the heavy lifting with 20 second half points, and Derek Fountain registered 15 points as the Mississippi State men's basketball team used a total team effort to rout Louisiana Tech, 84-62, during Saturday's NIT Semifinals at the Comerica Center.

The victory enabled the Bulldogs (18-14) to punch their ticket to Sunday's NIT Championship Game where State will face Memphis (19-8). Tip time is slated for 11 a.m. CT from the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. The game will be televised by ESPN and available online courtesy of the Watch ESPN app. 
 
The Bulldogs have won seven of their last 10 games to secure their spot in the program's first NIT final, and the 22-point margin of victory is the third-largest for a NIT contest in program history.
 
Stewart Jr. came out on fire and drained a quartet of three-pointers to fuel Mississippi State to six consecutive field goals during the opening 4:10 of the contest. Molinar dialed up a trio of three-balls of his own during a 1:48 span of the second half which propelled the Bulldogs to take a 20-point lead.  
 
The sophomore guards combined for 48 points, which was their second-best output of the season. It marked the third time that Stewart Jr. and Molinar captured 20-plus points during the same game in 2020-21. Stewart Jr. also became the first player in program history to piece together three straight games of 20-plus points in a NCAA or NIT game.  
 
The Molinar-Stewart Jr. combo shot a combined 15-of-29 from the field, canned nine of the team's 10 trifectas and were an efficient 9-of-11 at the free throw line.
 
Fountain fired in 15 points and rattled home 6-of-7 shooting effort coupled with six rebounds a career-high tying three assists.
 
Abdul Ado garnered eight points, seven rebounds and three blocks, whereas Javian Davis tucked away seven points and four rebounds.