Orange Downs Marquette, 76-71

Saturday, January 23

Syracuse, NY

2:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

Marquette University

Kris Joseph scored 14 points and had 11 rebounds Saturday against Marquette.

1/23/2010 4:51:19 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Coach Boeheim Quotes

Player Quotes

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - #5/5 Syracuse (19-1, 6-1) extended its winning streak to six games, taking down Marquette (11-8, 2-5),76-71, in front of 29,011 fans at the Carrier Dome on Saturday afternoon. Saturday's attendance marked the largest on-campus crowd in college basketball so far this season.

Junior Wes Johnson led the Orange with 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Kris Joseph contributed 14 points and a career-high 11 boards.

Syracuse is 19-1 for the third time in the 34-year tenure of Coach Jim Boeheim.

The teams kept it close in the first half, as they traded the lead four times. Marquette held a seven-point advantage with 4:27 left in the first half, 34-27. Syracuse erased the deficit by scoring the final seven points of the period and the two teams headed into the locker room tied at 34-34.

Syracuse exploded out of the locker room, going on a 9-3 run to start the second half. The Orange attacked the paint, scoring 10 of its first 11 points of the period inside. When Marquette closed the gap to 50-46, SU responded with six unanswered buckets. Syracuse got two baskets each during the stretch from Joseph, Johnson and Arinze Onuaku.

The Golden Eagles closed the gap with an 11-0 run, shaving a 70-53 score to 70-64 in less than two mintues. The score tightened to 75-71 with 10 seconds left but Rick Jackson clinched the victory with a free throw.

Onuaku and junior Jackson had productive days for the Orange, tallying 12 points and five rebounds apiece. Jackson also had seven blocked shots.

The Orange had 23 assists on 31 baskets, including six from Andy Rautins. SU had a commanding 56-22 advantage on points in the paint and outrebounded Marquette, 46-21.

For Marquette, David Cubillan led four players in double figures with 17 points. Lazar Hayward contributed 16 points and a team-best eight rebounds.

The Orange returns to the court on Monday, Jan. 23 for a 7 p.m. Big Monday showdown against Georgetown at the Carrier Dome on ESPN. Tickets for the game are available online, by phone (1-888-DOMETIX) or in person at the Carrier Dome Box office.