Amherst, MA -- (Sports Network) - Dante Milligan poured in a career-high 24 points to go along with nine rebounds and seven blocks, as he led the second- seeded Massachusetts Minutemen to an 80-60 victory over the seventh-seeded Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks in the first round of the NIT.

Gary Forbes tallied 19 points in the victory for Massachusetts (22-10), which will take on sixth-seeded Akron in the next round. Ricky Harris pitched in 16 points, and Etienne Brower contributed 12 rebounds.

Josh Alexander posted 21 points in the loss for Stephen F. Austin (26-6), which got 10 points apiece from Matt Kingsley and Eddie Williams.

UMass led 33-25 at intermission after limiting Stephen F. Austin to 36.7 percent shooting from the floor in the first half.

The Minutemen connected on 60 percent of their field goal attempts in the second half to seal the 20-point victory.

UMass finished the contest with 18 assists and only eight turnovers, and the club also earned a 41-35 rebounding advantage.

The Minutemen have now won an NIT game in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.

Stephen F. Austin surrendered more points in this game than in any other contest this season.