NEW YORK -- The SU Basketball team will get to enjoy their Thanksgiving dinner with their first significant comeback win of the year under their belt. A 2nd half 11-0 run led the the # 5 Orange to a 69-58 victory, earning them a spot in the NIT Tip-off Final on Friday against Stanford.
The Orange trailed by as many as 13 points in the 2nd half before they were able to turn of their offense. Kris Joseph led the Orange with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Brandon Triche had his best game of the year with 18. Off the bench it was C.J. Fair leading the way with 12 points, Dion Waiters close behind with 11 points.
SU and Stanford will now meet in the tournament's championship game this Friday at 5 PM and Madison Square Garden. You can also watch the game on ESPN.
The following is a game story from the Associated Press.
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C.J. Fair and Dion Waters combined for 21 points in the second half - 19 more than they had in the opening 20 minutes - and No. 5 Syracuse pulled away for a 69-58 victory over Virginia Tech on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden.
Kris Joseph had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Brandon Triche added 18 points for the Orange (5-0), who will play Stanford in the championship game Friday night. The Cardinal beat Oklahoma State 82-67.
Virginia Tech (3-1) controlled the pace of the game in the first half, leading 29-27 after milking the 35-second shot clock on many possessions against Syracuse's famed 2-3 zone defense.
With Fair, who finished with 12 and nine rebounds, and Waiters, who had 11 points, bringing energy off the bench, the Orange looked more like themselves as they started running the court and dominating inside.
