COL BKB: Ala.-Birmingham 72, N.C. State 52

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., March 20 (UPI) -- Elijah Millsap scored 27 points Saturday to power Alabama-Birmingham to a 72-52 win over North Carolina State in a second-round NIT game.

Millsap hauled down 15 rebounds while Howard Crawford chipped in with 13 points for the No. 2 seed Blazers (25-8), who with the win will host North Carolina in a National Invitational Tournament semifinal on Tuesday.

UAB led virtually from start to finish. The Blazers jumped off to a commanding 37-17 lead at halftime, using tough defense to limit North Carolina State to a paltry 24 percent from the field in the initial stanza.

The Wolfpack (20-16) were led by Dennis Horner's 23 points and eight rebounds in the defeat.