LAS VEGAS (AP) — Joshua Langford scored 29 points, Cassius Winston had 20 points and 10 assists, and No. 11 Michigan State beat Texas 78-68 in the Las Vegas Invitational championship game on Friday.
Langford was 5 of 6 from 3-point range. Winston, who was named the tournament MVP, also had five rebounds for the Spartans (5-1), who trailed 25-6 eight minutes into the game.
Texas’ Kerwin Roach II, the hero in Thursday’s upset of No. 7 North Carolina, led with 15 points and five assists. Dylan Osetkowski and Matt Coleman III each had 13 points for the Longhorns (5-1).
After that early Texas lead, the Spartans cut it to 44-36 at halftime. Michigan State took the lead for the first time on Langford’s 3-pointer with 15:26 remaining and went ahead for good on a 3-pointer by Winston 1:19 later.
Michigan State slowly built its lead to 71-59 with 3:32 remaining. The Spartans shot 55 percent from the field in the second half.
