NEW YORK - Justin Gray refused to let a shot to his face upset his game, and his second-half shooting protected Wake Forest's No. 1 status Wednesday night.
The Demon Deacons survived some hot shooting by Providence's Ryan Gomes at Madison Square Garden, defeating the Friars 79-67 in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT.
Wake Forest heads into Friday night's championship game against the winner of Wednesday night's second game between No. 18 Arizona and Michigan.
Gray had to go to the dressing room briefly in the first half after getting hit in the face during a play, but he returned to sink three 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the second half. They were interrupted by a spectacular steal by Gomes, who went in alone but blew the dunk. It was Gomes' only mistake in the opening minutes of the second half. He scored 10 straight and kept Providence in the game.
Gray, who fouled out with 2:31 left, finished with five 3-pointers and led Wake Forest with 21 points.
NO. 11 UNC 106, IOWA 92: Junior point guard Raymond Felton stifled Hawkeyes star Jeff Horner and threw in a couple of highlight-tape moves as the Tar Heels won their second Maui Invitational title in Lahaina, Hawaii.
UVA 77, ARK. ST. 60: Elton Brown's 24 points helped push the host Cavaliers past the pesky Mountaineers.
NO. 15 TEXAS 95, UT 70: Freshman guard Daniel Gibson scored 19 and started a second-half 3-point run for the Longhorns in the third-place game of the Maui Invitational. Texas bounced back from an 82-80 semifinal loss to Iowa with its fourth straight game with at least 10 3-pointers.
S. CAROLINA 62, WINTHROP 52: Carlos Powell had 20 points and seven rebounds for the host Gamecocks, who were down 19-10 before forcing seven straight turnovers to spark a 32-6 run that lasted into the second half.
LSU 95, UNO 79: Darrel Mitchell scored 20 to lead the host Tigers, whose coach, John Brady, was ejected for the first time this season. Brady was tossed with 8:53 left after receiving two technical fouls for arguing a foul.
AUBURN 92, NICHOLLS ST. 78: Toney Douglas scored a school freshman-record 38 and had 10 rebounds, leading the host Tigers. Quinnel Brown had a career-high 23 points for Auburn.
C-USA
NO. 12 LOUISVILLE 82, STANFORD 67: Taquan Dean scored 30 to lead the Cardinals to their first win this season over a Division I team in the fifth-place game of the Maui Invitational. Dean, a junior guard, was one point shy of his career high, set last season against VMI.
UC 76, N. IOWA 70 (2OT): Jihad Muhammad's four-point play completed the Bearcats' 18-point comeback in regulation, and Jason Maxiell had a breakaway dunk in the second overtime for host Cincinnati in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic. Muhammad's four-point play tied it at 56 with 1:23 left.
HOUSTON 57, MISSOURI 55: Andre Owens scored a game-high 24, including a free throw with 9.7 seconds left, for the Cougars in the third-place game of the Guardians Classic in Kansas City, Mo.
SO. MISS 65, SE LA. 62: Coach Larry Eustachy won his first home game with the Golden Eagles, with Jarekus Singleton scoring 22.
Top 25
NO. 5 ILLINOIS 85, OAKLAND (MICH.) 54: Luther Head scored the Illini's first seven and finished with 22 to lead host Illinois to its third straight win. Head's short jumper opened the scoring. After Oakland tied it, Head hit a 3-pointer from the right wing, stole a pass and sprinted the length of the court for a layup to give the Illini a 7-2 lead.
NO. 16 PITT 83, ROBERT MORRIS 59: Chris Taft and Chevon Troutman led a 16-0 run over the final six minutes of the first half that rallied the host Panthers from a sluggish start against their city rival. Troutman keyed the run with four steals in just more than three minutes, leading to three baskets.
State
UCF 97, P.R.-MAYAGUEZ 25: Josh Peppers scored 18 and Gary Johnson and Adam Gill 15 each to lead the host Golden Knights (4-0), off to their best start since opening 5-0 in 1993-94.
Nation
CREIGHTON 65, OHIO ST. 63 (OT): Tyler McKinney hit a winning field goal with 4.2 seconds left for the Bluejays in the Guardians Classic championship game in Kansas City, Mo. J.J. Sullinger scored 16 for the Buckeyes, including a follow shot with nine seconds left that forced overtime.
W. VA. 72, DUQUESNE 69: Patrick Beilein scored 16 and Tyrone Sally 15 to lead the visiting Mountaineers. Dukes guard Tyler Bluemling missed a tying 3-point attempt as time expired.
KANSAS ST. 60, DENVER 56: Jeremiah Massey scored 15 and the host Wildcats withstood a late rally.
LA.-MONROE 75, BAYLOR 61: DeAndre Alexander had 23 points and 14 rebounds to lead the visiting Indians.
ST. JOHN'S: Longtime former coach Lou Carnesecca, on hand to have the court named after him, received a surprise Tuesday night when the Big East school changed the name of its venue to Carnesecca Arena.
