Aztecs fall at the hands of the Orange

Demetris Nichols had 20 points, Andy Rautins scored 15 and Syracuse (24-10) beat San Diego State (22-11) 80-64 in the second round of the NIT on Monday night before a tournament-record crowd of 25,572 in Syracuse, N.Y.

The orange-clad crowd largest in NIT history, gave the game a championship atmosphere, and Syracuse didn’t disappoint, hitting nine 3-pointers and stifling the Aztecs with some staunch defense.

Clemson 89, Mississippi 68: At Clemson, S.C., freshman Trevor Booker had a career-high 21 points and Cliff Hammonds added 18 as the Tigers (23-10) won their eighth straight NIT home game, beating the Rebels (21-13).

Syracuse, the second seed in the South, will play Clemson on Wednesday in the quarterfinals.

Air Force 83, Georgia 52: At Air Force Academy, Colo., Jacob Burtschi scored 21 points and the Falcons (25-8) won their school-record 25th game, a blowout of the Bulldogs (19-14).

Burtschi had 13 points and seven boards by halftime.

DePaul 70, Kansas St. 65: At Manhattan, Kan., Sammy Mejia and Wilson Chandler led the Blue Demons (20-13) with 18 points each to defeat the Wildcats (23-12).

DePaul will face top-seeded Air Force in the semifinals on Wednesday at the Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo.