Stanford 74, Massachusetts 64: Anthony Brown scored 18 points, including a critical 3-pointer during Stanford’s late 11-3 run, and the Cardinal held off the Minutemen in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden.

The third-seeded Cardinal (25-11) will face Minnesota on Thursday for the NIT championship. Stanford is seeking its second NIT title in school history after winning in 1991.

Fifth-seeded Massachusetts (25-12) took its first lead since early in the first half with eight minutes remaining when Freddie Riley’s 3-pointer made it 50-49.

Brown capped Stanford’s 11-3 run with a 3-pointer with 2:51 left, putting the Cardinal up 63-55. Massachusetts cut the lead to six with a minute left before Stanford made four of its final six free throws.

Josh Owens had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Stanford, which improved to 11-4 all-time in NIT games. Aaron Bright added 13 points and Chasson Randle had 12 points and seven boards.

Massachusetts, which won three straight road games to reach the semifinals, was led by Chaz Williams’ 19 points. Riley added 10 off the bench for the Minutemen, who were outrebounded 46-34.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Both teams shot well below 40 percent from the field and committed a combined 29 turnovers. ... Stanford improved to 21-6 when leading at halftime. … New York Giants wide receiver and Massachusetts alum Victor Cruz sat courtside. … Stanford is 19-1 when scoring at least 70 points. … Massachusetts fell to 13-13 all-time in the NIT. … Stanford is the fourth team to play at Madison Square Garden in both the Preseason and Postseason NIT during the same season.