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Though Syracuse led from the start, and never really seemed in extreme danger of losing, the Titans' one-point win over West on Friday meant that every possession down the stretch would turn out to be critical.

At the Panthers Holiday Classic, Syracuse took a 52-51 semifinal victory against the host team of the invitational. That was largely thanks to a 6-0 run by West (4-5) in the waning seconds — including a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The Panthers would have liked to have started that streak a little bit earlier, though.

With Syracuse (7-1) holding a five-point lead and two minutes remaining, West raced out to a fast break. But a Panthers pass was picked off at the last second by Syracuse center Kalvin Mudrow.

The 6-foot-7 junior, who finished with 13 points, had already shown his ability to pass from a high post position to a teammate closer to the rim. Mudrow was also adept on Friday at kicking out for open 3's.

This time, Mudrow grabbed the steal and immediately fired a full-court pass to teammate Daunte Atkinson — who laid in the ball and kept West's comeback at bay awhile longer.

Mudrow's stats included 12 rebounds and eight assists.

"Kalvin puts a lot of work into what we need him to do offensively," Syracuse coach Troy Anderson said. "He never approaches a game thinking, 'I'm gonna score 20 tonight.' He wants to know how many rebounds he can get to help his team, how many assists."

Atkinson led the Titans with 17 points and grabbed five rebounds. Hayden Sessions added nine points and five boards for the victors.

"We're still figuring some things out, but I think every night we're getting a little bit better at executing," Anderson said. "These are resilient young men I'm working with. They're eager to learn and very coachable."

Syracuse looked firmly in control early in the third after a 5-1 run made the score 29-16.

But turnovers started taking a toll on the Titans, with West's twin brothers Dallyn and Riley Kenner often capitalizing on layups or 3-pointers.

Dallyn Kenner led the Panthers with 19 points while Riley added 15.

At the end of the third, West cut the lead to three on a bucket from Justus Murray. Syracuse, however, started the fourth with a 3 from Alex Christiansen and an basket from Atkinson — both on assists from Mudrow — to push the lead back up to eight.

Syracuse will play in the championship game of the holiday tournament Friday at 2 p.m. —

Syracuse 52, West 51

R Daunte Atkinson's 17 points lead the Titans.

• Hayden Sessions adds nine points and five rebounds.

• Dallyn Kenner leads the Panthers with 19 points.

• Kenner's twin brother, Riley scores 15 points.