Elijah Stewart scored 21 points to lead No. 23 USC into the championship game of the Las Vegas Classic with an 83-75 semifinal victory over Missouri State on Thursday night at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

Jordan McLaughlin had 19 points and five assists for USC (12-0), which is enjoying its best start and its longest winning streak since going 16-0 to open the 1970-71 season. Chimezie Metu had 13 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots for the Trojans, who will play Wyoming in Friday's championship game.

Stewart made 7 of 10 field-goal attempts. He was 4 of 6 from 3-point range. He said the Trojans are thriving because they are sharing the ball.

"We just aren't selfish," Stewart said, according to the Orange County Register. "If it is not your night, you get off of it. I don't mind giving it to a freshman. Whoever is hot, we just feed them."

Alize Johnson posted 17 points and nine rebounds for Missouri State, which will face DePaul in the consolation game. Ronnie Rousseau III also scored 17 points, and Dequon Miller had 11 for the Bears (8-4).

"We got into a rhythm late and kept trying to find a way," Missouri State coach Paul Lusk said. "We tried to space them out and make threes. We always stayed within striking distance all night, and we continued to fight to the final buzzer."

USC tried to set the tone early, but Missouri State wouldn't go away. Metu delivered two dunks to help the Trojans outscore the Bears 6-0 to start the game. The Trojans went up by seven on a 3-pointer by Shaqquan Aaron and extended the lead to nine on a basket by McLaughlin.

The Bears battled back to cut the deficit to three on a layup by Jarred Dixon, but the Trojans scored the next six points to take a 22-13 lead midway through the opening period.

Austin Ruder sank a 3-pointer as Missouri State staged a modest run to cut USC's lead to 22-19. The Trojans promptly pushed the lead to 10 and carried a 39-28 advantage into the break after outscoring the Bears 17-9 over the final 5:42.

USC shot nearly 57 percent in the first half. Missouri State shot just 32.3 percent but made seven 3-pointers before the break.

The Trojans went up by 13 early in the second period. They took a 56-41 lead on a jumper by McLaughlin and stretched the lead to 19 on a 3-pointer by Aaron. The Bears rallied late to get within seven, but the Trojans made 15 of 16 free throws over the final 2:17.

"Give credit to them," Lusk said. "They made free throws when they had to have them, and that's the sign of a great team."

USC shot 54.7 percent from the field, made 8 of 19 from 3-point range, sank 17 of 19 free-throw attempts and scored 47 points in the second half. Missouri State attempted a school-record 36 3-point goals and made 14, but the Bears shot just 37.5 percent overall.

"The last 2 1/2 minutes took about 25 minutes," Enfield said, according to the Register. "But give (Missouri State) credit. They have some good shooters and they made some threes at the end."

NOTES: This was the first-ever meeting between USC and Missouri State. ... USC is one of six unbeaten teams in Division I. ... The Trojans had a school-record 14 blocked shots against Pepperdine on Dec. 11, nine against Troy on Dec. 17 and 10 against Cornell on Sunday. They blocked only four shots Thursday. ... Missouri State G Ryan Kreklow has made a 3-pointer in all 12 games this season and 15 consecutive games dating back to last season.