New York, NY (Sports Network) - Evan Turner scored 17 points and pulled down eight rebounds to help lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to an 81-69 win over Ole Miss in the semifinals of the NIT at Madison Square Garden.

Turner added five assists and four steals for the Buckeyes (23-13) who will now face off against Massachusetts in the championship game on Thursday night.

Also scoring 17 points for OSU was Jamar Butler, although he shot just 6-of-17 from the field on the night, while Kosta Koufos and David Lighty both dropped in 16 points for the victors as well.

The Rebels (24-11) were paced by Chris Warren with a game-high 19 points on 5- of-11 shooting behind the three-point line. David Huertas, who made good on 5- of-8 beyond the arc, contributed 16 points and Dwayne Curtis 12 points and a game-high 15 rebounds, although he was also charged with six turnovers. Kenny Williams chipped in 11 points.

The Buckeyes shot a mere 3-of-14 behind the three-point line in the first half, yet that still left the squad with 20-of-42 from the field overall. Mississippi not only shot just 8-of-28 from the floor in the frame, the team also missed all but one of six free throws, which left the Rebels with a 44-20 deficit at the break.

In the second half Ohio State continued to have issues beyond the arc (2-of-9) and converted only 7-of-14 at the charity stripe, which allowed Ole Miss to make a late push and slash the difference to a mere seven points with just over a minute and a half remaining.

Aside from shooting only 9-of-20 at the free-throw line, the Rebels were outrebounded by OSU (50-37) and hurt themselves with 21 turnovers on the night.