Syracuse University
Butler University
Syracuse Ends Season in NCAA Regional Semifinal
3/25/2010 8:55:45 PM | Men's Basketball
SALT LAKE CITY – Syracuse (30-5) ended its season with a 63-59 loss to No. 5 Butler in the NCAA Regional Semifinal on Thursday afternoon at the EnergySoultions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Six players scored for the Orange, including three in double-digits.
Junior Wes Johnson led the Orange with a team-best 17 points and nine rebounds. Senior Andy Rautins was second on the team, tallying 15 points – including four threes in the final game of his collegiate career.
Sophomore Scoop Jardine rounded out the double-digit scorers with 14 points and a team-best four assists.
Butler opened the game on a 13-3 scoring tear, taking a quick 10 point lead at the 12:06 minute mark. Syracuse used a five point run, courtesy of a three by Rautins and a pair of free throws by Johnson, to halve the deficit, 13-8.
The Bulldogs outscored the Orange, 11-6 through the next two minutes to push the buffer back to 10, 24-14, with 6:38 left to go in the first half. Butler maintained its 10-point advantage through the break, heading into the locker room ahead, 35-25.
Syracuse found its stride out of intermission, outscoring Butler 15-4 in the first five and a half minutes of the second half. Johnson propelled the run with seven points while Rautins netted a pair of three's in the stretch. The offensive outburst gave Syracuse its first lead of the contest, 40-39, with 13:29 left in regulation.
The physical battle continued as the teams tied twice through the next eight minutes. Knotted at 48, Butler netted a pair of free throws to go up, 50-48, before the Orange used a six-point scoring tear to take its largest lead of the contest, 54-50, with 5:23 left to play.
The Bulldogs clawed their way back, sealing the victory with 13-5 scoring stretch to win, 63-59.
Junior Rick Jackson contributed a game-best while sophomore Kris Joseph added seven rebounds, helping the Orange to a 38-28 advantage on the boards.
Syracuse's 30-5 record ties for the second best in program history. The Orange was also 30-5 in the 2002-03 season.
