NIT 2012 Scores: Breaking Down Top Results

No. 1 Seton Hall 63, No. 8 Stony Brook 61

This one was perhaps a bit closer than Seton Hall would have liked, but Herb Pope and Jordan Theodore bailed the Pirates out, just as they had done all season.

The two seniors combined for 41 points on 56 percent shooting, as they did their best to make sure this wasn't their last game in South Orange.

Stony Brook scored the first bucket of the game about a minute in, but didn't score again until the 11 minute mark as they fell behind 12-2.

Dallis Joyner finished with 14 points and nine assists for the Seawolves in his final game under Coach Steve Pikiell.

The Seawolves showed stretches of ineptitude during the most inopportune times. They were able to muster just two field goals in the final seven minutes of the game.

Stony Brook's Brian Dougher clanged a three-pointer off the rim with two seconds left. Tommy Brenton did his best to tip it in for the tie, but to no avail.

Seton Hall grabbed the lead and never gave it up with just over nine minutes left to play, when sophomore Patrick Auda scored his only points to put his team up 48-46.

This one was a nail-biter for the Pirates, but they live to fight another day. They'll meet UMass in the next round, hoping to power through to the round of eight.

No. 4 Mississippi State 96, No. 5 UMass 101 (2OT)

In the best game of the NIT so far, the Massachusetts Minutemen knocked off the Mississippi State Bulldogs 101-96 in double overtime.

Chaz Williams finished the game with 28 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Minutemen, who outlasted the Bulldogs on their own court.

UMass had five players in double figures in a game in which they took 90 shots from the field and shot just 43 percent. This was one of those times when quantity beat out quality.

Williams and company led by four with under three minutes to go, but Bulldog Arnett Moultrie brought his team back with a turnaround jump shot and a pair of free throws.

Moultrie led all scorers with 34 points in a grueling 49 minutes of playing time.

The dagger came with around three minutes left in the second overtime, when Williams hit a three to put his team up 97-92.

The Minutemen move on to play No. 1 Seton Hall in the second round of the tournament. 

No. 1 Washington 82, No. 8 Texas-Arlington 72

Washington sophomore Terrence Ross poured in 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting as the No. 1 Huskies knocked off the University of Texas-Arlington 82-72 in the first round of the NIT yesterday. 

The game was tied at 37 at halftime, but the Huskies pulled away as they shot 68 percent from the field in the second half.

Washington had a bit of a chip on their shoulder coming into the NIT, as they became the first team to win a regular season title in a power conference and not go on to make the tournament.

LaMarcus Reed III, a UTA senior, shot 10-of-12 from the free throw line en route to leading the Mavericks with 20 points.

That wouldn't be enough, as his team shot just 40 percent from the field on the night, meeting a disappointing end to a season in which they won the Southland Conference.

Washington will move on to play No. 4 Northwestern in the second round of the tournament.

No. 2 Dayton 75, No. 7 Iowa 84

The Iowa Hawkeyes finally gave their fans something to cheer about yesterday, as they upset the No. 2 seed Dayton Flyers in the first round of the NIT.

Freshman Aaron White and sophomore Zach McCabe teamed up to score 45 points and pull down 19 rebounds.

McCabe didn't miss a shot from the field all night, going 9-for-9 in helping his team shoot 57 percent.

This was Iowa's first postseason game in six years, and they made the most of it, going on a 16-3 run in the second half to break a tie.

Flyer Kevin Dillard scored 23 points, but couldn't do it all on his own. He went 4-of-6 from behind the arc on the night, but his teammates could manage just 5-for-24 shooting from three.

The Hawkeyes move on the play No. 3 seed Oregon on Sunday evening, with hopes of playing their way into the final eight.