Courtesy of UMassAthletics.com.
NEW YORK – Chaz Williams scored a game-high 19 points but had his homecoming spoiled by Stanford as the Cardinal outlasted UMass 74-64 in the National Invitation Tournament Semifinal at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night.
The Minutemen took their first lead since early in the game with just over eight minutes to play, but Anthony Brown hit a 3-pointer to push the Cardinal back on top, then later scored seven points during an 11-3 run that put the Minutemen in a hole that was just too large to overcome.
UMass (25-12) shot 34 percent and was just 5-of-22 from outside as it made its third NIT Final Four appearance in school history.
Freddie Riley came off the bench with 10 points, while Raphiael Putney and Terrell Vinson finished with eight points apiece.
Stanford (25-11) was led by Brown who scored a season-high 18 points. Josh Owens added 15 points and 12 rebounds. The Cardinal outrebounded the Minutemen 54-45 and held a 19-13 edge in second-chance points thanks in part to 19 offensive boards.
The Cardinal led by 12 halfway through the first half before UMass closed the gap to 36-33 at the break.
UMass tied the game on two occasions in the second half before taking a 50-49 lead on a Riley triple with 8:05 left.
UMass got to within three points with 4:10 remaining but Stanford made 12-of-15 at the free throw line down the stretch to keep the Minutemen comeback hopes at bay.
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