Seton Hall 63, Stony Brook 61: Seniors Jordan Theodore and Herb Pope combined for 41 points and top-seeded Seton Hall held off a last-second upset bid for a thrilling victory over Stony Brook in the opening round of the NIT.

The Pirates (21-12) will host UMass in second-round play.

Rallying from a six-point deficit in the final two minutes, the visiting Seawolves (22-10) had a shot to win in the closing seconds, but Bryan Dougher missed a long 3-point attempt. Tommy Brenton grabbed the offensive rebound, but his putback attempt just before the final horn also rolled out.

Stony Brook had rallied to tie it 46-46 on Dougher's 3-pointer with 10:14 remaining, but Seton Hall reclaimed the lead for good by scoring seven unanswered points over a span of a little more than two minutes.

Theodore and Pope, who finished with 21 and 20 points, respectively, scored Seton Hall's last 12 points of the game to hold off the charging Seawolves. Dallis Joyner scored 13 points to lead a balanced Stony Brook attack.

Game Notebook: Stony Brook shot just 37.7 percent but finished with a massive 44-23 rebounding advantage, grabbing 19 offensive boards ... Seton Hall finished with 15 steals, forcing 18 turnovers in all ... The Pirates improved to 3-0 all-time against the Seawolves.