Utah ousts VCU in quarterfinal
Quest for third tourney road win eludes Rams
Gabe Madsen scored 18 points on six 3-pointers in Utah’s wireto-wire 74-54 victory against VCU on Wednesday night in a National Invitation Tournament quarterfinal in Salt Lake City.
Utah (22-14) advances to play Indiana State on Tuesday in the semifinals at Butler University in Indianapolis.
Madsen shot 6 for 13 for the Utes. Branden Carlson scored 17 points and Deivon Smith had 15.
The Rams (24-14) won road games against Villanova and South Florida to gain their trip west, but they never got untracked in a game pitting friends who are both former Utah State coaches — Utah’s Craig Smith and VCU’s Ryan Odom.
The Rams were led by Sean Bairstow, who finished with 13 points.
Christian Fermin added eight points and nine rebounds, and Max Shulga finished with six points.
Utah went ahead 18-2, saw VCU pull to 23-20, then surged late in the first half for a 36-26 edge at halftime, with Carlson racking up 11 points. The Utes quickly pulled away in the second half.
Seton Hall 91, UNLV 68: Al-Amir Dawes had 21 points as Seton Hall advanced to the semifinals with its third consecutive NIT victory in its relatively small campus gym in South Orange, New Jersey.
Dawes, a former Clemson player, had six rebounds for the Pirates (23-12). Kadary Richmond added 16 points while finishing 7 of 9 from the floor, while he also had 10 assists and five steals. Dre Davis had 14 points and seven rebounds.
The Rebels (21-13) were led by Kalib Boone, who finished with 16 points. Justin Webster added 11 points and four assists, while Rob Whaley Jr. had nine points, seven rebounds and two blocks.