No. 1 Valparaiso 72, No. 2 BYU 70: The Crusaders blew a 16-point lead, but David Skara connected on a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left to break a tie and eventually give Valpo a spot in the NIT finals.
Skara, a reserve, scored a season-high 15 points for Valpo while Alec Peters also had 15. The Crusaders held BYU to 38.2 percent shooting, though it nearly wasn’t enough as Kyle Collinsworth had 20 points, Nick Emery, 18 and Chase Fischer 16 to help the Cougars claw back into the game until Skara’s winner.
Madison Square Garden will host the NIT finals Thursday with Valp facing off against…
No. 4 George Washington 65, No. 2 San Diego State 46: ...the Colonials after they blasted SDSU on Tuesday night.
GW led by 15 at halftime, and the Aztecs were never able to mount a credible comeback throughout the second half as they shot 28.8 percent from the field and 13.6 percent (3 of 22) from 3-point range. Dakarai Allen had 13 points for SDSU but was 3 of 10 from the floor with teammate Winston Shepard going 3 of 13 for seven points.
Tyler Cavanaugh starred for the Colonials with 20 points on 7 of 15 shooting. Patricio Garino added 13 points, shooting 6 of 12 from the floor.
Thursday’s title game will tip at 7 p.m. ET.