New York ? Justin Gray refused to let an elbow in the face upset his game, and his second-half shooting protected Wake Forest’s No. 1 status Wednesday night.

The top-ranked Demon Deacons survived some hot shooting by Providence’s Ryan Gomes at Madison Square Garden, defeating the Friars, 79-67, in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT.

The victory sent Wake Forest (4-0) into Friday night’s championship game against No. 18 Arizona, a 61-60 overtime winner over Michigan.

Gray had to go to the dressing room briefly in the first half and needed six stitches in his right eyebrow after taking a shot to the face from Tuukka Kotti.

“I took an elbow from No. 11,” Gray said. “I saw blood, and I thought, ‘What’s going on?”‘

Helped off the court, Gray angrily threw a towel to the floor on his way to the dressing room.

“I thought maybe I’d need a Band-Aid,” he said.

It was more serious than that, but Gray hardly seemed bothered, nailing three three-pointers in the first four minutes of the second half, a sort of statement that he was fine.

And the stitches?

Wake Forest guard Justin Gray is helped by a trainer after taking a shot to the face. Gray bounced back from the injury to lead the top-ranked Deacons to a 79-67 victory Wednesday over Providence in New York.

“It’s something that happens in a game,” he said.

“He’s not that pretty to begin with,” coach Skip Prosser said.

Gray, who fouled out with 2:31 to play, finished with five three-pointers and led Wake Forest with 21 points. Gomes had 24 and Dwight Brewington 23 for Providence.

No. 5 Illinois 85, Oakland, Mich. 54

Champaign, Ill. — Luther Head scored Illinois’ first seven points and finished with 22 to lead the Illini to their third straight victory.

No. 11 North Carolina 106, Iowa 92

Lahaina, Hawaii — Raymond Felton did everything to get North Carolina another Maui Invitational championship. The junior point guard ran the offense as he always does, defended the opponent’s best backcourt player as he always does and even threw in a couple of highlight-tape moves in the Tar Heels’ victory over Iowa. It was the fourth Maui Invitational title game in as many appearances for the Tar Heels (3-1).

No. 12 Louisville 82, Stanford 67

Lahaina, Hawaii — Taquan Dean scored 30 points, and Louisville beat Stanford in the fifth-place game of the Maui Invitational, the Cardinals’ first victory this season over a Division One team. Dean, a junior guard, was one point shy of his career high, set last season against VMI.

No. 16 Pittsburgh 83, Robert Morris 59

Pittsburgh — Chris Taft and Chevon Troutman led a 16-0 run during the final six minutes of the first half that rallied Pittsburgh from a sluggish start to an easy victory over city rival Robert Morris.

No. 18 Arizona 61, Michigan 60, OT

New York — Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson’s Madison Square Garden winning streak stretched to 11 games when Arizona squeezed past Michigan in overtime in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT. Dion Harris’ basket with 51 seconds left in regulation tied the score at 55.