.png)
Syracuse University
West Virginia University
Orange Outlasts West Virginia In Morgantown
1/16/2010 12:10:30 PM | Men's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – #5/5 Syracuse (17-1, 4-1) outlasted #10/9 West Virginia (13-3, 4-2), 72-71, in front of a sold-out crowd at WVU Coliseum on Saturday. Freshman Brandon Triche had 16 points, including 11 in the second half, to lead the Orange.
It was the first time two top-10 squads had met at West Virginia in 40 years.
SU overcame three West Virginia 3-pointers in the final 34 seconds to hold on. Junior guard Scoop Jardine made one-of-two from the line with seven seconds to put Syracuse up by four, 72-68. WVU's Darryl Bryant drained a 3-pointer with four seconds left to pull the Mountaineers within one. The hosts fouled sophmore forward Kris Joseph on the in-bounds play. Joseph, who finished with 13 points, missed both free throws but West Virginia was unable to get off a shot attempt in the final seconds.
Freshman guard Brandon Triche led seven different players who scored for SU, including four in double-digits. Triche had a team-best 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-3 from three-point range, and converted 2-of-3 free throws. He dished out a game-high five assists.
Junior forwards Wes Johnson and had 13 points, five boards, two assists and a pair of blocks while senior guard Andy Rautins rounded out the double-digit scorers for SU with 12 points. Rautins also had seven rebounds.
The Orange had a strong presence in the lane, outscoring West Virginia, 36-16 in the paint. SU managed to outrebound the Mountaineers, 35-29, thanks in part to a 10-board effort by junior forward Rick Jackson.
Triche knocked down a trifecta to open the scoring before the Mountaineers stole the momentum with a 6-0 run. Rautins hit from behind the arc to tie the score, 6-6.
The Orange continued to lead the Mountaineers, opening up its largest lead of the half, 22-15, on a Johnson layup with 5:46 remaining before the break.
Shooting 61.1 percent from the field in the opening half enabled the Orange to maintain a buffer of at least two points for the majority of the stanza. Bryant hit a 3-pointer with five seconds left to close the margin and SU went into the intermission leading, 26-25.
The Mountaineers came on strong out of the break as Devin Ebanks netted the first basket of the half to give the hosts their first lead, 27-26, since the 14:17 mark in the first half. Syracuse battled back as Triche found Onauku under the rim to re-establish the Orange lead, 28-27.
West Virginia refused to relent with Da'Sean Butler knotted the game, 28-28, on a free throw and Kevin Jones connecting from three-point range. Jones' trifecta sparked a 10-2 run which gave the Mountaineers its largest lead of the game, 38-32, with 15:00 remaining in regulation.
The Orange responded as Rautins netted a trifecta and knocked down a pull-up jumper on the ensuing possession to bring SU back within two, 39-37. Rautins continued to propel the Orange, sparking a 9-0 run with a tip in. Triche had five points in the scoring spurt which put Syracuse up, 46-42, with 11:01 left to play.
WVU cut the lead to one, 48-47, with 6:43 remaining, but the Orange put together a 13-4 run to take its largest lead of the game, 61-51, with 2:42 to go. Five different players scored for SU in the run, which Joseph ignited with a left-handed layup through traffic.
Syracuse matched the 10-point lead on a Johnson free throw with 1:21 remaining that put SU up, 65-55. Baskets by Da'Sean Butler and Dalton Pepper got WVU back within six, 65-59, with 52 seconds on the clock. Brandon Triche converted two free throws but Bryant and Butler sandwiched 3-pointers around a free throw by Joseph and SU's lead was shaved to three, 68-65, with 27 ticks left.
Johnson made 3-of-4 from the line to edge Syracuse ahead, 71-65, with 12 seconds remaining. West Virginia's Darryl Butler was fouled shooting a 3-pointer with seven seconds left and he converted all three. Jardine converted his free throw and Bryant canned one last 3-pointer to complete the game's scoring.
The Orange wraps up its road swing when it visits Notre Dame on Monday, January 18 for a Big Monday showdown at the Joyce Center.
The Orange are 17-1 for the third time during the tenure of Coach Jim Boeheim. Syracuse was 18-0 in 1999-00.
