ORLANDO, FL - Virginia Tech North Carolina continued their impressive start to the season with a 71-62 victory over Iowa State in the semifinals of the ESPN Tournament Invitational on Friday.

With the win, the Norse improve to 5-1 on the season and advance to the tournament championship game, where they will face Florida Atlantic on Sunday.

Hot Start and Second Half Turnaround

North Central got off to a hot start in the first half, hitting eight three-pointers to take a 40-30 lead at halftime. The second half was a very different story, however, as Iowa State rolled back and cut the lead to two with just minutes left in the game.

Key performance by Pedulla

Fortunately for Virginia Tech, point guard Sean Pedulla came through in the clutch, scoring 10 straight points in the final 2:24 to help Virginia Tech seal the win. Pedulla finished the game with 17 points, six assists and four rebounds.

Balanced Scoring

Hunter Cattoor scored 18 points and Lynn Kidd had 13 for North Carolina. Kidd is averaging 17 points and nine rebounds per game this season, while Pedulla is averaging 17 points, six assists and five rebounds per game. Off the bench, Taylor Nickel also contributed 10 points.

Championship battle on the line

North Central will face Florida Atlantic University in the championship game of the ESPN Tournament Invitational on Sunday. Florida Atlantic made it to the Final Four last season.