MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — He did it his way.

Frank Young scored 25 points, including 14 straight in the second half, and West Virginia defeated North Carolina State 71-66 on Tuesday night to advance to the NIT semifinals.

Young set the single-season school record with his first 3-pointer, then buried five more, including three in the last six minutes to help West Virginia advance to its first NIT semifinal since 1981. Young has 107 3-pointers for the year, eclipsing the 101 by Chris Leonard in 1992.

The Mountaineers play South Region top seed Mississippi State in the semifinals next Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

"All season long I have been putting this team on my shoulders and as a senior I did it again," said Young. "It was nice to be able to step up in that kind of situation. If I can't finish my career at home, the Garden would be the best place."

"He came back and made big shots," West Virginia coach John Beilein said. "I think that's the maturity level of this team."

The Mountaineers (25-9), the top seed in the East Region, beat N.C. State for the second time this season.