David Green led five scorers in double figures as Tulsa outlasted New Mexico 74-69 in a battle of No. 1 seeds Thursday in Indianapolis to advance to the NIT championship game.
The Golden Hurricane will face the winner of the nightcap semifinal between No. 1 Auburn and No. 4 Illinois State in Sunday’s championship. Tulsa is looking for its third NIT championship, previously winning the tournament in 1981 and 2001.
Green tallied 13 points, supplemented by 12 from Ade Popoola, 11 from Miles Barnstable, and 10 apiece from Tylen Riley and Jaylen Lawal. The Golden Hurricane (30-7) trailed for just 2:24 and never trailed in the second half.
After New Mexico tied the game at 59 with 5:01 left, Riley went on a personal 8-0 run to rebuild a sizable lead with 2:09 left. Tulsa finished 41.4% from the floor and 37.5% from outside the arc.
Jake Hall (18 points) and JT Rock (16) led the way for the Lobos (26-11), who made just 7 of 33 3-pointers (21.2%) and shot 35.3% from the floor.
