Box score

Nkem Ojougboh produced 12 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high six blocks as the Northeastern University men's basketball team held Santa Clara to 29 percent shooting in a 62-50 victory over the Broncos in the semifinals of the Cable Car Classic Tuesday night at the Leavey Center in Santa Clara, Calif.

The Huskies advance to the tournament championship game Wednesday night against Kent State at 11 p.m., Eastern.

Matt Janning led Northeastern (4-7) with 18 points. Chaisson Allen added 14 points, making all nine of his free throw attempts to help the Huskies keep their lead. NU shot 39 percent from the field, but shot 77 percent (17-for-22) from the free throw line.

The Huskies stymied Santa Clara on defense in the first half, but the Broncos managed to stay in the game with second-chance points. Although SCU was just 7-for-31 from the field in the first half, the Broncos had 13 offensive rebounds that led to seven second-chance points.

Janning got NU's scoring going with a pair of three-pointers, including a 22-footer that put the Huskies up 6-4. Adako then got into the scoring act with some baby hooks and long jumpers. His layup under the basket off a pass from Janning at 12:51 gave Northeastern a 13-8 advantage.

Meanwhile, Ojougboh did some real work down low on the defensive end with a career-high six blocks just in the first half. He blocked SCU's first two shots of the game then had a sequence of blocking three straight shot attempts by Niyi Harrison.

Right after Ojougboh's block sequence, Northeastern went up eight points, after Allen was fouled on a three-pointer, and he made all three, putting NU up 20-12 with 7:50 remaining. Janning's layup at 3:39 gave the Huskies their largest lead of the half, 10 points, 26-16.

However, that Janning layup was the only basket the Huskies had in the final 5:39 of the half as they went into a shooting lull, just 1-for-11. Santa Clara ended with a 6-2 run to go into the break down just four, 26-22.

In the second half, Janning and Ojougboh did all the offensive work early, scoring NU's first 15 points of the half. After Santa Clara's Robert Smith hit a bucket, Janning answered with a three-pointer. Ojougboh connected on a layup at 16:47, then fed Janning for a layup at 16:20. Ojougboh then knocked down a hook shot in the lane at 15:35. The senior then dunked the ball at 13:40 after both teams committed turnovers.

Despite the pair's success, the Huskies were tested by Santa Clara, as the Broncos tied the game at 39-39 with 9:36 left to play. However, Ojougboh answered the call once more by collecting Janning's missed layup and putting it back in for two points. After an SCU turnover, Allen then hit an open layup on a pass from Janning to put the Huskies back up four, 43-39, with 8:46 remaining.

Following a Niyi Harrison dunk, the Huskies turned things up a notch, going on a 9-2 run offensively and then holding Santa Clara shotless for nearly three minutes as they kept getting offensive rebounds. With NU up six, 49-43, Janning stole the ball from Smith at 3:40. Then Allen missed a three-pointer, but a scrum developed for the ball, and Muo came up with the loose ball on the ground. He then missed a jumper, but Ojougboh was there to grab the board. Janning missed a layup in the lane, but Ojougboh again came up with the carom. Santa Clara was forced to foul, and Janning made one of two as the Broncos finally got the ball back at 1:39.

Santa Clara was forced to foul the rest of the way, but the Huskies calmly sank 12-of-13 free throw attempts in the final 90 seconds of the game to clinch the victory.

The Broncos were led by Trasolini, who had 14 points and eight rebounds. Harrison produced a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.