Forward Michael Gbinije and guard Trevor Cooney each scored 17 points to lead a balanced scoring effort as Syracuse held off No. 18 Connecticut 79-76 in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in Paradise Island, Bahamas, on Thursday.

The former Big East rivals were playing for the first time since the 2012-13 season, after which the Orange left for the ACC and the Huskies joined the American Athletic Conference.

With Syracuse protecting its late three-point lead, Cooney dribbled down to the end of the shot clock and shot a desperation 3-pointer that was rebounded by forward Tyler Roberson with about five seconds left as the Orange was able to run out the clock.

Syracuse (5-0) plays No. 25 Texas A&M - a 62-61 upset winner over No. 10 Gonzaga - in Friday's championship game. UConn (4-1) plays Gonzaga in the consolation.

Freshman forward Tyler Lydon had 16 points and 12 rebounds for Syracuse. Roberson had 14 points and eight rebounds. Freshman guard Malachi Richardson added 13 points and had a pair of 3-pointers during a 10-0 second-half run that gave Syracuse a 54-47 lead. It never trailed after that.

Huskies wing Daniel Hamilton had 18 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Guards Sterling Gibbs and Rodney Purvis each had 12 points. Purvis hit a trio of 3-pointers in the final 6:06, but the Huskies couldn't climb all the way back after being down by 10 with 7:47 left.

UConn led by 10 in the first half but settled for a 34-34 tie at halftime.