HONOLULU (AP) — Chimezie Metu scored 27 points and Bennie Boatwright added 23 as Southern California held off Middle Tennessee 89-84 on Saturday in the semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic.
The Trojans (8-4) saw five players score in double-figures. Elijah Stewart added 13 points, Jordan McLaughlin 11, and Shaqquan Aaron 10.
USC shot 57.8 percent (26 of 45) from the field, including a clip of 68.2 percent (15 of 22) in the second half. It shot 11 of 21 on 3-pointers and was 26 of 33 from the free-throw line.
Metu, a 6-foot-11 junior forward, made 11 of his 15 field-goal attempts and grabbed nine rebounds.
Middle Tennessee held a 66-64 lead after Nick King's reverse layup with 7:42 left to play. However, Boatwright's 3-pointer from the left wing ignited an 11-2 run for a 75-68 USC lead.
King scored a game-high 28 points with 11 rebounds to lead the Blue Raiders (8-3).
BIG PICTURE
Middle Tennessee: King continued his string of scoring in double-figures in every game this season. The 6-foot-7 senior forward entered the contest averaging 22.4 points per game and has eclipsed the 20-point mark in eight of 11 games.
USC: After he was ejected for drawing a flagrant-2 foul in Friday's quarterfinal win over Akron, Boatwright saw 37 minutes of court time in his return against the Blue Raiders. The 6-foot-10 junior forward shot a mere 4 of 11 from the field, but made three 3-pointers and 12 of his 16 free throws to go along with six rebounds and six assists.
UP NEXT
Middle Tennessee will play in the third-place game Monday.
USC will try for its third straight win in the title game Monday.
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