COLLEGE BASKETBALL ROUNDUP \ Thursday's games

No. 5 Syracuse 71,No. 12 Mississippi St. 58
NEW YORK -- Syracuse and Mississippi State both struggled in the first half. Hakim Warrick made sure Syracuse had a much better final 20 minutes. Warrick scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half for the Orange in the semifinals of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Syracuse (3-0) will play Memphis tonight in the championship game at Madison Square Garden. Syracuse and Mississippi State (2-1) were tied 25-25 at halftime. Warrick, a 6-foot-8 senior, had six points in Syracuse's 11-0 run to open the second half. Warrick had 10 rebounds and Gerry McNamara finished with nine points and seven assists for the Orange. Playing with a face mask, Roberts finished with nine points and 12 rebounds. Shane Power had 18 points for Mississippi State.
No. 2 Wake Forest 81,Virginia Commonwealth 67
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Chris Paul scored 16 points despite taking just three shots from the field to help Wake Forest in the Preseason NIT. Paul hit 14-of-15 free throws and had five assists for the Demon Deacons (2-0), who head to New York for next week's semifinal matchup with Providence. Justin Gray added 14 points and was one of five Wake Forest players in double figures. Alexander Harper led the Rams (1-1) with 17 points.
No. 10 Arizona 83, Wright St. 66
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Salim Stoudamire scored 24 points, including 6-of-9 3-pointers, and Arizona advanced in the second round of the Preseason NIT. The Wildcats (2-0) play Michigan in the semifinals next Wednesday in New York. Stoudamire, whose 3-point total was one shy of his career best, made six in a row after missing his first one. He was 5-of-6 from 3-point range and 6-of-7 overall for 17 points in the first half. Channing Frye had 13 points and Hassan Adams 10 for Arizona. Isaiah Fox, suspended from Tuesday's opener for violating team rules, had 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Zakee Boyd, suspended for Wright State's 71-66 overtime victory over Tulsa on Tuesday night for playing in a summer league game, sank four straight 3s in the Raiders' late surge. Boyd finished with a career-high 24 points. DaShaun Wood added 18 points, 16 in the second half.
No. 19 N.C. State 71, Elon 45
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Julius Hodge scored 21 points on his 21st birthday to join an exclusive group of ACC players, leading North Carolina State in the semifinals of the BCA Invitational. The Wolfpack (2-0) advanced to the final, where they will play the winner of the East Carolina-Oregon State game. Hodge now has 1,505 points and 303 assists in his career, becoming the 18th player in the 52-year history of the ACC to record at least 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists. Anthony Grundy is the only other N.C. State player to reach those totals. Teammate Ilian Evtimov added 10 points. Matt Nowlin had 16 points for Elon (1-1), which shot just 38 percent.
No. 24 Memphis 81, Saint Mary's 66
NEW YORK -- Rodney Carney scored a career-high 33 points and Memphis (3-0) ended the surprising tournament run of Saint Mary's in the semifinals of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Daniel Kickert had 24 points and nine rebounds for the Gaels.
Associated Press