NIT ROUNDUP : Canisius Rallies, Holds Lead to Defeat Washington State

Michael Meeks scored 18 of his 24 points in the second half at Buffalo to lead Canisius to an 89-80 victory over Washington State in a National Invitation Tournament quarterfinal Thursday night.

Canisius used a 13-0 run to rally from an early deficit and held the lead for the final 28 minutes.

The Golden Griffins (21-12) reached the NIT final four for the first time since 1963.

Washington State (18-12) pulled to within 72-68 on Mark Hendrickson’s basket before Canisius made 16 consecutive free throws down the stretch.

Canisius made 23 of 25 free throws in the second half. Meeks made all seven of his and has made 45 of 50 in his last six games.

Darrell Barley added 20 points and Craig Wise and Chris Young added 13 apiece for Canisius, which plays Virginia Tech in Monday’s first game at Madison Square Garden. Marquette plays Penn State in the other semifinal.

Penn State 67, Iowa 64--Pete Lisicky made a three-point shot with 2.1 seconds to play, sending the Nittany Lions (20-10) into the semifinals.

Iowa (21-12) squandered an early 13-point lead and then fought back from a 14-point deficit in the final 6:35 to tie it, 64-64, on Jess Settles’ two free throws with 10.6 seconds remaining.

Iowa’s Andre Woolridge, who scored a career-high 28 points, missed a long, off-balance jump shot at the buzzer.