Connecticut 76, Syracuse 71 OT l Postgame Quotes
NEW YORK – 11/11 Syracuse (26-7) overcame a five point deficit with one minute remaining in regulation to force overtime but came up short, 76-71 against 21/19 Connecticut (24-9) in the BIG EAST Tournament semifinals at Madison Square Garden.
The last time the Orange and the Huskies squared off in the conference tournament was in the epic six-overtime game won by Syracuse in 2009.
With 4.6 seconds remaining in regulation, junior Scoop Jardine nailed his second consecutive three to tie the game at 68 and force overtime. In extra minutes, UConn outscored Syracuse 8-3 to seal the win and advance to tomorrow's championship game.
Jardine stole the ball and went the length of the court to tie the game at 70 with four minutes to play. Junior Kris Joseph went 1-2 from the free throw line to make it 72-71 UConn with 51 seconds remaining, but the Huskies scored the final four points of the game to produce the final score.
Syracuse jumped out to an early 10-4 lead with the help of five points from Joseph. The Orange held a 12-5 advantage when the Huskies scored six unanswered points to pull within one, 12-11, at the 10:43 mark.
Kemba Walker hit a jumper for Connecticut with 7:30 remaining in the first half and the Huskies led for the first time since the game's opening basket, 17-16. The next four minutes featured two lead changes and UConn led, 24-19, with 2:34 to play. The Orange fought back to cut Connecticut's lead to one, 26-25 at halftime.
Veterans Rick Jackson and Scoop Jardine scored SU's first two buckets of the second half and the Orange regained the lead 29-26 at the 18:53 mark. Connecticut quickly stole the lead with a 9-2 run and UConn led 35-31 with just under 17 minutes remaining in the final period.
Jackson scored six of Syracuse's first 10 points of the half and tied the game at 35 with 14:58 on the clock. Connecticut produced an 8-0 run that gave the Huskies a 43-37 lead at the 12:50 mark. The two teams swapped baskets until Syracuse erupted on a 11-2 run to take the lead 55-52 with 8:26 remaining in regulation. Joseph was fouled while shooting a three-pointer and completed the four-point play to cap the run.
By the five minute mark, Connecticut had claimed a 58-55 advantage. A Jardine three-pointer knotted the game at 60 with 3:39 on the clock. The Huskies responded with five consecutive points to take a 65-60 lead with 2:10 remaining.
UConnn committed a turnover with 1:08 remaining to give the Orange possession. Sophomore Brandon Triche drove to the basket and scored with 59 seconds to bring SU within three, 65-62.
Syracuse was forced to foul on the next two defensive possessions and Connecticut sank three out of four shots from the charity stripe. Jardine pushed the ball up the court and banked in a trifecta from the top of the key with 19 seconds remaining to bring SU within three, 68-65.
Joseph and Jardine led the Orange with 20 points apiece. Fifteen of Jardine's points came in the second half. Joseph also added nine rebound and three assists. Jackson was SU's third player in double-figures with 12 points and eight rebounds. Freshman #C.J. Fair# pulled down eight rebounds and rejected three shot attempts.
Connecticut was paced by Walker's double-double, including 33 points and 12 rebounds.
Syracuse's Jim Boeheim and Connecticut's Jim Calhoun, each a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, have a combined 1,701 wins during their careers. The pair broke the record for most wins between two coaches in a Division I matchup which they had set earlier this season when the Orange and the Huskies met in Syracuse. 
