Gu Gains Finals At Top Of World

Gonzaga University withstood a furious comeback by Mississippi State in the fourth quarter for a 70-68 win Saturday night in the semifinals of the Top of the World Classic.

The upstart Bulldogs (3-0), who saw a 10-point lead all but evaporate in the final 5 minutes, will take on No. 5 Clemson at 2:07 p.m. PST today for the championship.

Trey White drilled four 3-pointers and Bart Hyche had a four-point play and six straight points as Mississippi State rallied from a 58-48 deficit in a wild fourth quarter.

Bakari Hendrix had five points in the fourth quarter for GU, but more importantly made a huge block with 13.9 seconds to play that helped stave off Mississippi State.

Mike Leasure and Matt Santangelo also came up big for the Bulldogs in the final period. Leasure scored eight points in the period, including a 3-pointer, and Santangelo had three.