ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Joel Smith scored 26 points, and Northeastern erased a 16-point second-half deficit Friday to beat Belmont 74-71 and advance to the final of the Great Alaska Shootout.
Smith was 8 of 14 from the field, including 6 of 9 from behind the arc, for the Huskies (4-1), who took their first lead, 70-68, on David Walker's 3-pointer with 58 seconds left. The Bruins (4-1) had scored 16 unanswered points — 14 of them by Ian Clark — to take a 55-39 lead with 12:58 to play.
Northeastern outscored Belmont 35-16 the rest of the way, with Smith hitting four free throws in the final minute to seal the victory.
The Huskies now face the winner of late Friday's Oral Roberts-Charlotte matchup in Saturday's final. Northeastern also made the final in 1986, its only other appearance in the tournament.
Clark led the Bruins with 29 points, including a tournament-record nine 3-pointers.
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