Hawks prey on Aggies, steam ahead to semifinals

Pat Carroll scored 22 points and Dwayne Lee added 13, including a big 3-pointer with 76 seconds left, to lead the Saint Joseph’s Hawks (23-11) to a 58-51 win over the Texas A&M Aggies (21-10) in the quarterfinals of the NIT on Wednesday night at College Station, Texas.

Lee drilled a 3 from the corner that gave the Hawks a 51-46 lead, and later made two free throws. Carroll added four straight free throws to clinch the victory.

Saint Joseph’s advanced to the NIT semifinals in New York and will face Memphis on Tuesday night.

Antoine Wright led A&M with 21 points in what could have been his final college game. The 6-foot-7 junior will seriously consider an early jump into the NBA draft.

The Hawks managed to hold off the Aggies with another smothering defensive effort and some timely baskets by Carroll.

Memphis 81, Vanderbilt 68: At Memphis, Tenn., Rodney Carney scored 26 points, and Darius Washington added 23 and seven assists to lift the Tigers (22-15) over the Commodores (20-14) in the quarterfinals of the NIT. Shan Foster led Vanderbilt with 25 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including 6 of 11 from 3-point range. Julian Terrell scored 11 points for the Commodores. Washington sealed the victory by hitting six straight free throws down the stretch.

Second Round

The Maryland Terrapins (18-12) moved into the quarterfinals of the NIT for the first time since 1972, getting 12 points and 11 rebounds from Nik Caner-Medley in a 78-63 victory over the Davidson Wildcats (23-9).

Six players scored in double figures for the Terrapins, led by James Gist with 15 points. Maryland never trailed after using a 16-0 run to pull even at halftime.

Brendan Winters scored 16 points and Jason Morton had 15 for Davidson, which was seeking to win three games in a single postseason for the first time. Before this NIT, the Wildcats hadn’t won a postseason game since 1969.