ERST LESEN! » Fennellys decision to milk the clock rather

NAPLES, Fla. -- Ariya Jutanugarn has already decided the first thing she will do if she wins the bonus cash that accompanies the Race to the CME Globe title.Shell take her mom out for a celebratory dinner.Figure on appetizers and dessert being included, since the prize is $1 million.This would have seemed an unlikely scenario a few months ago, but Jutanugarn has arrived at the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship as the leader for the CME Globe -- with that $1 million bonus -- and the yearlong money title. A five-time winner this season, Jutanugarn will be player of the year unless world No. 1 Lydia Ko prevails this week.This year I changed my focus, Jutanugarn said. I try to focus just really positive, not too negative. Even if I hit bad shots, dont really complain about it and just try to hit the next shot.Those bad shots dont seem to happen too often.The 20-year-old from Thailand added something to her pre-shot routine in April, and it had nothing to do with her grip or her swing. She started smiling before most shots, a little trick shes used to keep her mind right over the course of a round.Its worked wonders.Ariya has been playing great and shes consistently putting herself in good positions, Ko said.Most around the LPGA Tour call Jutanugarn May -- a fitting moniker this year. She made three starts this May and won them all, her first LPGA victories coming in succession and starting her springboard to No. 2 in the world.And her ascension into the level of the LPGA elite has been rapid.Jutanugarn didnt make the cut in the first stop this season, shot a final-round 84 in her second start and finished a combined 39 shots behind the winners during a rather unremarkable two-week stretch in March.You still remember? Jutanugarn asked, rhetorically. Did I really shoot 84?Jutanugarn was kidding. She recalls every detail of that day, hammering away with her driver over and over again -- even on the holes where she shouldnt have hit driver -- trying to figure out what was going wrong.Those days are long gone.Jutanugarn, Ko and Brooke Henderson are the three players entering this week with the most realistic chance of hoisting the CME Globe, which goes to the winner of the yearlong points race on the tour. All posed with a plexiglass box holding $1 million to represent the bonus cash that goes to the Globe winner on Monday, and thats when Jutanugarn let her mind wander to what winning it would be like.Her scoring average after her first six starts this season was 72.4. In 21 starts since, its 69.3.The bad shots, she said, inspired me to hit better shots.She leads the money race by a slim margin over Ko entering this week, and she needed no time to decide which trophy shed want most this week if she could leave Naples with only one.To me, it would be player of the year, Jutanugarn said. Its a really huge honor to win that award. To me, thats the hardest one to win.Maybe so, but shes made contending for it look easy. Kevin Wyatt Jersey Retro . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. Bud Cooper Jersey Retro . 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AMES, Iowa -- No. 6 Mississippi State found itself five minutes away from its first loss -- and a big one at that.The Bulldogs showed their character down the stretch, surviving a tough road environment to stay unbeaten.Morgan William scored 24 points, Victoria Vivians had 16 and Mississippi State overcame a 17-point deficit to beat Iowa State 85-81 in overtime Saturday.Roshunda Johnsons 3-pointer with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter forced overtime for the Bulldogs (8-0), who trailed by 11 with 4:49 left.We still have work to do, William said. We came out flat, but most important was (that) we fought through adversity.Mississippi State controlled the overtime, but it took four free throws by William with the final 15 seconds to seal the win.The underdog Cyclones (5-1) played like the favorites for much of regulation, outscoring Mississippi State 28-13 in the second quarter to go up 43-26 at halftime.But the Bulldogs cut it to 70-68 with 36 seconds left on Williams 3, and Johnsons contested 3 from the elbow gave them a chance to steal a big win on the road.That what great players do. They want to be in that moment and have the opportunity, Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer said. After that...our kids practice really hard. Anything that goes longer than 40 minutes, were kind of built for.Seanna Johnson had 21 points with eight rebounds for Iowa State. Jadda Buckley added 19 points and 11 assists. The Cyclones were 10 of 15 from 3-point range, but they also had 18 turnovers.Im not upset with anyone. I know they played as hard as they could, Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said. We ran out of gas down the stretch.THE BIG PICTUREMississippi State: Schaefer might regret scheduling eight consecutive games away from Starkville for a team with the Final Four in its sights. This was the fourth game of that stretch, and Mississippi State looked little likee the team that entered play 35-8 since the start of last season -- until the final 15 minutes.dddddddddddd Thats when the Bulldogs, aided by a cold stretch from Iowa State, took control. We looked like we still had one foot left stuck in Hawaii, Schaefer said, referencing last weeks successful trip to the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu.Iowa State: The Cyclones had their first losing season since 2003 last season. If they keep playing like this, they might push for an upper-division Big 12 finish. Iowa State created open shots with excellent ball movement, overcame its lack of size by attacking the defensive glass and made the most of their forced turnovers. Fennellys decision to milk the clock rather than attack late ruined his teams offensive flow.POLL IMPLICATIONSMississippi State never reached as high as sixth until this week. Voters know that playing in Ames is never easy, so the Bulldogs could end up staying where they are.PIVOTAL MOMENTS? NOT SO MUCHBuckley drilled 3s from the left elbow to back-to-back possessions to put the Cyclones ahead 39-22, and Bridget Carleton added another 3 with 6:34 left that put Iowa State on top 64-53. All three seemed to bury the Bulldogs. But they shot 77 percent in the fourth quarter, and Seanna Johnsons missed free throw with 21 seconds left kept the deficit at 3.HE SAID ITThat whole first half, they just stuck it down our throat and made us like it, Schaefer saidUP NEXTMississippi State plays at Southern Miss on Dec. 10. The Golden Eagles entered Saturday at 6-1 -- but they havent played anyone nearly as talented as the Bulldogs.Iowa State wont get much time to recover from this loss. The Cyclones host New Orleans on Sunday.---More college basketball at www.collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '