NIT Semifinal Recaps
by Zach Ewing
Rutgers 84, Iowa State 81, OT
This was a good, old-fashioned New York City shoot-out. Quincy Douby of Rutgers and Iowa State’s Curtis Stinson, both freshmen who hail from inner city New York, both played terrific games. When Stinson fouled out with the game tied in overtime, both players had 32 points. Douby, however, stayed in the game and had time for three more points. The final margin? Rutgers by three. The two guards both had career-highs in scoring, 35 points for Douby and 32 for Stinson. Douby got his damage done mostly in the first half, when he hit four three-pointers and led the Scarlet Knights to a 40-30 lead at the break. Stinson, along with forward Jackson Vroman, brought the Cyclones back after the break. Stinson, the Big 12 freshman of the year, scored 27 points in the second stanza while Vroman finished with 14 points and a whopping 20 rebounds. With Rutgers leading 77-74, ISU senior guard Jake Sullivan made a desperation three-pointer to tie it. Then, with 1.3 seconds to play in regulation, Rutgers was unable to inbound the ball from midcourt. ISU took over, but missed a shot off the front rim as the buzzer sounded. In the extra period, Stinson scored two more points before fouling out with the score 79-79 and about three minutes on the clock. Douby hit both ensuing free throws. Sullivan tied it again with two free throws of his own, but the Cyclones had no firepower without the creative Stinson and wouldn’t score again. Douby added another free throw to make the score 84-81, and Sullivan couldn’t get two miracle threes to fall in one night. The Scarlet Knights have had a clear path paved for them to get to the tournament championship. Gary Waters’ team played its first three games of the NIT at home and traveled just 45 minutes to the west to get to Madison Square Garden, where a partisan crowd awaited. Rutgers will now play Michigan in the championship Thursday night.
Michigan 78, Oregon 53
The first game in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night was a barnburner, but the second was a woodshed whipping. Michigan came out on fire and buried Oregon in the first half behind Daniel Horton, who had 14 points and 9 assists. The Wolverines made 8-of-12 from three-point range in the first half alone, a period in which they shot 59 percent. Michigan shot 54 percent for the game. Michigan’s defense was also impressive, as it held a normally high-scoring Ducks team to only 53 points and a paltry 34.5 percent shooting clip. Three consecutive long-range bombs gave Michigan an 11-0 run that helped it to a 46-32 halftime lead. In the second half, the Wolverines just poured it on. By the ten-minute mark, Michigan had a 20-point lead and was in control for good. Horton kept control of the game’s pace, but it was Dion Harris who led Michigan with 15 points. Luke Jackson scored 17 for Oregon to lead all scorers. Michigan, an 8-8 team from the Big Ten, handily beat an Oregon team that was 9-9 in the Pac-10, in a match-up of two power conferences that were unusually weak this year. The Wolverines now play Rutgers, 7-9 in the powerful Big East, in the NIT championship. Oregon will meet Iowa State for the consolation prize.
