Massachusetts 101, Mississippi State 96, 2OT: Chaz Williams scored 28 points and the Minutemen survived double overtime in the opening round of the NIT in Starkville.

The victory sends UMass (23-11) into the round of 16 against Seton Hall. The Minutemen survived blowing a 14-point second-half lead.

The Bulldogs (21-12) completed a second-half swoon that cost Mississippi State a sure-fire NCAA tournament berth. At 19-5 and ranked in the top 25 just four weeks ago, the Bulldogs dropped seven of their final nine games.

Arnett Moultrie scored a career-high 34 points for the Bulldogs on 12-for-23 shooting.

Nursing a two-point lead, Williams hit a big 3-pointer with 3:12 remaining in the second overtime. Terrell Vinson scored on UMass’ next possession to push the lead to 99-94.

Mississippi State’s Jalen Steele buried two huge 3-pointers in the final 51 seconds of the first overtime, his long 3-pointer tying the game at 90-90 with 21 seconds left. Williams missed a turnaround jumper at the buzzer, forcing double overtime.

The Minutemen were up 12 with 13 minutes to go in regulation, but the Bulldogs rallied with a 17-4 run. Moultrie’s two free throws tied the game at 72-72 with 41 seconds to go. The Bulldogs had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, but Dee Bost’s drive missed the target.

Carter finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Raphiael Putney scored 10 points with a career-high 16 rebounds for UMass.

Game Notebook: Bost scored 20 points and 13 assists in his final game for Mississippi State. … UMass scored the game’s first eight points and used a 7-0 run late in the first half to build a 12-point lead. … Mississippi State used a 17-4 run to take its first lead of the game, 63-62, on Brian Bryant’s layup with 7:57 remaining. … Steele hit five 3-pointers.