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Final Score: Massachusetts 78 - Florida 66

New York, NY (Sports Network) - Dante Milligan registered a double-double with 17 points and a team-best 12 rebounds to help lead Massachusetts to a 78-66 win over the Florida Gators in the semifinals of the 71st annual NIT at Madison Square Garden.

Gary Forbes tallied a game-high 19 points for the Minutemen (25-10), followed by Ricky Harris and Chris Lowe with 16 points apiece. With the victory the squad will now go up against Ohio State for the title on Thursday night.

The Gators (24-12), the two-time defending NCAA Tournament Champions, were paced by Marreese Speights who recorded 16 points and a game-high 18 rebounds in the setback. Also registering a double-double for Florida was Dan Werner with 11 points and 10 boards, adding a game-high seven assists as well. Nick Calathes chipped in 12 points, but shot only 5-of-19 from the floor on the night.

UMass came out flat in the first half, shooting a mere 32.4 percent from the field and only 1-of-13 beyond the arc, allowing the Gators to claim a 36-27 advantage at the break.

In the second half it was Florida that fell apart with a meager 38.2 percent effort from the floor. The Gators missed all six of their three-point tries in the period and made 4-of-13 at the free-throw line, giving the Minutemen plenty of opportunity to bounce back and claim the 12-point win.

While Florida was making good on just 8-of-21 shots at the charity stripe on the night and turning the ball over 16 times, UMass won the contest at the line (19-of-27).