New York ? Derek Raivio scored 21 points to help Gonzaga defeat No. 2 North Carolina, 82-74, in the NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals Wednesday night.

Despite losing star Adam Morrison to the NBA after last season, Gonzaga didn’t seem fazed playing against a top program on a big stage at Madison Square Garden.

“It was a great night for our team and our program,” said Gonzaga coach Mark Few. “Any time you can beat a program and a team like Carolina, that’s a great thing.”

The Bulldogs (5-0) advanced to the championship game Friday night against Butler. In the first semifinal, Julian Betko scored 11 of his career-high 15 points in a decisive second-half run to give Butler a 56-44 victory over No. 22 Tennessee.

Trailing 65-50 with 11:52 left in the game, the Tar Heels (3-1) used an 18-5 run to get to 70-68 on Tyler Hansbrough’s putback dunk with 4:16 left.

Gonzaga didn’t fold. Jeremy Pargo scored a basket and was fouled to push the lead back to five.

“A lot of people doubt the play of Gonzaga now that Adam is gone, and we’ve just been preparing for a moment like this,” Pargo said. “We took advantage of it today.”

North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough, center, is hounded by Gonzaga's David Pendergraft, left, and Jeremy Pargo. Gonzaga won, 82-74, on Wednesday night in New York.

No. 5 UCLA 88, No. 19 Georgia Tech 73

Lahaina, Hawaii – UCLA beat Georgia Tech 88-73 in the championship game of the EA Sports Maui Invitational. Arron Afflalo bounced back from a poor shooting game in the semifinals to score 19 points for the Bruins (4-0), who were in this tournament for the third time.

No. 12 Memphis 80, No. 20 Kentucky 63

Lahaina, Hawaii – Freshman Willie Kemp scored 10 of his 12 points in the opening four minutes of the second half, and Memphis dominated Kentucky in the third-place game of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

No. 14 Georgetown 73, Fairfield 60

Bridgeport, Conn. – Freshman DaJuan Summers scored 17 points, and Georgetown rebounded from its first loss of the season. Georgetown opened the second half with a 17-2 run to break open a close game.

No. 15 Arizona 86, Samford 57

Tucson, Ariz. – Marcus Williams scored 14 points in the first half, and Chase Budinger added 12 in the opening 20 minutes, and Arizona went on to rout Samford. All five starters reached double figures for the Wildcats (3-1).

No. 17 Syracuse 79, Charlotte 67

Syracuse, N.Y. – Demetris Nichols scored 21 points, freshman Paul Harris added 17 points and nine rebounds, and Syracuse beat Charlotte. It was the first meeting between the teams since Charlotte (1-2) ruined the afterglow of the Orange’s 2003 national championship with a 96-92 victory in the Carrier Dome to open the 2003-04 season.

Butler 56, No. 22 Tennessee 44

New York – Julian Betko scored 11 of his career-high 15 points in a decisive second-half run to give Butler a victory against Tennessee in the NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals.

Providence 73, No. 23 Boston College 64

Providence, R.I. – Geoff McDermott had 18 points and 16 rebounds, and Providence withstood Sean Williams’ career-high 12 blocks to beat Boston College.