North Carolina Downs Alabama-Birmingham, 65-60, To Punch Ticket To Madison Square Garden

Birmingham, AL (Sports Network) - Deon Thompson registered a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds as he helped lead the North Carolina Tar Heels to a 60-55 win over the UAB Blazers in the quarterfinals of the NIT at Bartow Arena.

Also scoring in double figures for the fourth-seeded Tar Heels (19-16) were John Henson and Larry Drew II with 14 and 11 points, respectively, which means the squad now heads to New York City and Madison Square Garden for a semifinals matchup against the winner of the Rhode Island/Virginia Tech matchup.

As for the second-seeded Blazers (25-9), they were paced by Elijah Millsap who posted a game-high 18 points and also cleared seven rebounds, while Jamarr Sanders tacked on 17 points as he converted 4-of-8 shooting from three-point range.

Both teams had trouble shooting the ball from the field in the first half, yet despite making a mere 26.9 percent from the floor in the frame the Blazers were able to lock the score at 25-25 at the break. UNC converted just 34.5 percent from the floor in the period, including 2-of-9 behind the three-point line.

In the second half UAB made good on a mere 1-of-9 out on the perimeter and eight field goals altogether as it bowed in the five-point decision.

North Carolina, which turned the ball over 15 times, shot just 3-of-14 behind the three-point line but managed to outscore the Blazers in the paint by a 24-12 margin.