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Heath lifts San Diego State over Missouri State

Mar 15, 2007 - 5:56 AM SPRINGFIELD, Missouri (Ticker) -- San Diego State's best player delivered the biggest shot when it counted most.

Brandon Heath scored 26 points, including a tiebreaking 3-pointer with seven seconds to play, to lift the sixth-seeded Aztecs to a 74-70 victory over third-seeded Missouri State in a first-round matchup in the National Invitation Tournament.

The winning shot by Heath broke a scoring drought of over three minutes and sent San Diego State (22-10) into a second-round South Region matchup at second-seeded Syracuse on Monday.

Trailing, 40-32, less than three minutes into the second half, the Bears (22-11) rallied with a 28-14 spurt to take a 60-54 lead with just under 7 1/2 minutes to play.

Heath answered with a 3-pointer to trigger a 13-2 spurt and give the Aztecs a 67-62 advantage, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.

Mohamed Abukar scored 15 points for San Diego State, which shot 52 percent (27-of-52) to help offset 23 turnovers.

Deven Mitchell had 16 points and Blake Ahearn and Drew Richards added 15 apiece for Missouri State.