NEW YORK — Pittsburgh had a top-five team reeling midway through the second half. The Panthers just couldn’t put away the No. 4 team in the country.

Lamar Patterson led the Panthers with 14 points, but the Panthers’ were stifled by Michigan’s defensive switch that also limited Pitt’s rebounding, and lost 67-62 in a semifinal of the NIT Season Tipoff on Wednesday night.

“I think they’re finding themselves. They’re improving,” Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon said.

Trey Burke scored 17 points, Tim Hardaway Jr. had 16 points and No. 4 Michigan reached the title game. Pittsburgh will play Delaware in the consolation game Friday afternoon.

Pittsburgh’s Tray Woodall made a 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to make it a one-possession game, and Pittsburgh (4-1) pressed after a timeout. But Michigan (4-0) made eight straight free throws to close it out.

“We put them on the line, they knocked down the free throws down the stretch,” James Robinson said.

Robinson made a layup and was fouled with 3.5 seconds left, but missed the free throw and Michigan had the arrow for a jump ball that followed on the rebound. Pittsburgh fouled on the inbounds and Burke made the free throws.

The Wolverines will play Kansas State for the title on Friday afternoon. The Wildcats beat the Blue Hens earlier Wednesday.

It was a disappointing finish for a well-balanced Pittsburgh team that was expected to have an outside shot at contending in the strong and deep Big East conference — and looked set to score a big nonconference win early.

The Panthers led by eight in the first half and six in the second, but Michigan began to use its 1-3-1 defense to slow them down.