No. 8 Syracuse, favorite in the 2013 Maui Invitational, advanced to the tournament semifinals with a 75-67 win over Minnesota on Monday.
Syracuse vs. Minnesota final score: Orange advance to Maui semis, 75-67
The Orange held on behind 16 points from C.J. Fair and 15 from Trevor Cooney.
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
The Orange will face California Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET for a spot in the championship game.
ACC preseason player of the year C.J. Fair led the Orange with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Trevor Cooney made all five of Syracuse's threes, good for 15 points.
Syracuse jumped out to a 12-2 advantage before Minnesota responded with a 15-2 run to grab the lead. It was back-and-forth game from there, with Syracuse taking a three-point advantage into the locker room at halftime.
The Orange finally put some distance between themselves and the Golden Gophers thanks to an 11-2 spurt to start the second half. Minnesota then fought back to pull within two but could not get any closer.
Malik Smith had 16 points off the bench to lead the Gophers, who turned the ball over 19 times. Tyler Ennis led the Syracuse defensive effort with five steals. He also scored 12 points, 10 of them coming from the line.
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