Wake Forest Joins Notre Dame in Final

Wake Forest won bragging rights in its rivalry with North Carolina State and earned a spot in the final of the National Invitation Tournament.

Darius Songaila scored 18 points, including six in overtime, as Wake Forest earned a 62-59 victory over the Atlantic Coast Conference rival Wolfpack (20-13) in the semifinals of the NIT on Tuesday night at New York.

Wake Forest (21-14) will play Notre Dame (22-14) in Thursday night’s final. The Fighting Irish (22-14) beat Penn State (18-16), 73-52, in Tuesday’s other semifinal behind 18 points from Troy Murphy.

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Cincinnati center Kenyon Martin, who missed the NCAA tournament because of a season-ending leg injury, was chosen the United States Basketball Writers Assn. player of the year.

The 6-foot-9 senior finished his career as the Bearcats’ all-time leading shot-blocker. His 18.9 points and 9.7 rebounds a game led Cincinnati this season.

Notes

Fresno State is investigating reports that several members of the basketball team received free meals from a local restaurant even after the owner and the players were--according to university officials--warned such handouts could violate college athletic rules. Ted Kunishige, owner of Tomodachi Japanese Restaurant and a men’s basketball booster, admitted to The Fresno Bee that he had given away “several thousand dollars” worth of free food to the players during the last seven years. . . . . . . North Carolina guards Ed Cota and Terrence Newby no longer have a court date that conflicts with a possible appearance in Monday’s NCAA title game. Cota and Newby had been scheduled to appear in court Monday in Chapel Hill, N.C., to face charges in a Halloween night brawl. But the hearing was delayed for the fourth time since December. No new date was set. . . . Arizona Coach Lute Olson believes center Loren Woods will skip the NBA draft and return for his senior season. Woods will hold a news conference Thursday.