Sophomore Dion Waiters scored all 11 of his points in the second half as No. 5 Syracuse bounced back from a slow first half to defeat Virginia Tech 69-58 in the semifinal of the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden.
Waiters also had five assists for the Orange, who meet Stanford in the tournament final on Friday. Also scoring in double figures for Syracuse were Brandon Triche (18 points), Kris Joseph (18 points, 10 rebounds) and C.J. Fair (12 points, six rebounds).
Virginia Tech (3-1) was led by Jarell Eddie with 15 points and four rebounds, Erick Green with 14 points and five rebounds, and Dorenzo Hudson with 13 points and five assists. The Hokies will play Oklahoma State in the consolation final.
Syracuse trailed 29-27 at the half, but rallied and improved to 5-0 thanks to superior shooting. The Orange made 50.9 percent from the floor, compared to just 42.6 percent for Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech | Syracuse | |
Jarell Eddie 17 | Scoring | Kris Joseph 20 |
Jarell Eddie 5 | Assists | Brandon Triche 6 |
Dorian Finney-Smith 7 | Rebounds | C.J. Fair 10 |
Dorenzo Hudson 6 | Free Throws Made | Kris Joseph 5 |
Erick Green 3 | Steals | Kris Joseph 3 |
Jarell Eddie 2 | Blocks | Fab Melo 5 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Virginia Tech | 58 | 42.6 | 8-19 | 10-12 | 15 | 23 | 3 | 5 | 15 |
Syracuse | 69 | 48.3 | 7-15 | 6-8 | 17 | 28 | 6 | 8 | 9 |