Scotty Hopson scored 18 points and freshman Tobias Harris added 17 and 10 rebounds as No. 24 Tennessee took down No. 7 Villanova, 78-68, on Friday in the finals of the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden.

The Voluteers beat Virginia Commonwealth in the semifinals on Tuesday to advance.

Villanova (5-1) shot 29 percent (8-of-27) from the floor in the first half but still trailed by just 35-30 at the break. The Wildcats wasted little time taking the lead in the second half, going up 39-37 when Corey Stokes drained a 3-pointer at the 17:37 mark.

Neither team led by more than five points until Tennessee (5-0) used a 7-0 run capped by Cameron Tatum’s 3-pointer with 5:41 remaining to take a 63-55 edge. Melvin Goins scored seven points and made two steals over the final 2:17 to keep the Volunteers comfortably ahead.

Corey Fisher, who came in leading Villanova at 18.4 points per game, managed just three points on 1-of-9 shooting.