The NIT : Connecticut, Ohio State Advance to the Final

Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun had a tough job--stopping Boston College’s Dana Barros--and he needed a tough player to do it.

Calhoun changed defenses from a zone to a man-to-man in the second half and picked unheralded freshman Lyman DePriest to guard Barros, who had scored 22 points in the first half.

Barros scored only two in the final 20 minutes as the Huskies beat Boston College, 73-67, Tuesday night and advanced to the final of the National Invitation Tournament where they will play Ohio State, which is seeking its second NIT title in three years.

The Buckeyes used pressure defense and a better shooting touch in the second half to defeat Colorado State, 64-62, in the other semifinal game.

Jay Burson scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half for Ohio State, including a three-pointer with 4:07 left that put the Buckeyes ahead to stay. He took only two shots in the first 20 minutes and 12 in the game.

“I was frustrated, but I didn’t want to force anything in the second half,” Burson said. “In the second half, the press really helped us.”

Burson, a 6-foot guard, got inside help from 6-7 junior Tony White, who scored 17 points.

“In the second half, it was a typical Jay Burson game, and Tony White was outstanding,” Ohio State Coach Gary Williams said. “Our decision was to keep going inside. They’re not the biggest team in the world.”

Colorado State’s Trent Shippen scored 23 of his 28 points in the second half and missed only 1 of 7 three-pointers.