#2/2 Syracuse Holds Off USF, 56-48

Wednesday, February 22

Syracuse, NY

7:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

USF

C.J. Fair scored double-figures for the fourth game in a row

Photo by: Stephen Parker

2/22/2012 7:01:46 PM | Men's Basketball

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – #2/2 Syracuse (28-1, 15-1) clinched at least share of the BIG EAST Conference regular-season title and a double-bye in the BIG EAST Tournament after holding on to defeat South Florida (17-11, 10-5) on Wednesday night, 56-48, in front of 25,316 fans at the Carrier Dome.

USF raced out of the gates and used a 14-2 run to gain early control of the contest. The Bulls' largest lead reached 20-7 at the 8:52 mark of the opening half, but that's when Syracuse would respond with its largest run of the season.

Syracuse scored 26 unanswered points; 17 to end the opening half and then the first nine out of the locker room to take a 33-20 lead three minutes into half two. A corner three from Scoop Jardine during that run gave SU its first lead of the game at 21-20 with 3:01 remaining before the break. The Orange held USF scoreless for 11:22 during its run.

With the Bulls trailing 36-22, USF went on another run, this time 9-0, to clawl back into the game. After the two teams traded baskets, Dion Waiters sparked a 7-0 scoring run to put Syracuse back up 12, 47-35 with 9:29 remaining.

But the Bulls refused to go away, scoring the next 11 points to cut SU's deficit to one point at 47-46 with 6:26 remaining in the contest. An and-one by Jardine, followed by a layup from Kris Joseph pushed SU's lead back to six, and SU ending up outscoring South Florida 9-2 down the stretch to hold on for the victory.

Jardine led three players in double figures with 15 points, while #C.J. Fair# scored 13 points to record his fourth-consecutive game in double-digits. Fair also pulled down six boards, had three assists and five steals. Kris Joseph finished with 12 points and a game-high nine boards. Fab Melo, who has the most blocks in conference play, had four points and six rejections.

The Bulls were led by freshman Anthony Collins who had 12 points and tied a career-high with 10 assists. Toarlyn Fitzpatrick was the only other USF player to reach double-figures with 11 points off the bench.

SU shot 35 percent from the floor (19-of-55), while the Bulls were 39 percent (20-of-52). USF held a 41-31 advantage on the glass. Both teams scored 28 points in the paint.

The Orange is back in action this Saturday night as SU tries to sweep the regular-season series with Connecticut. ESPN's College Game Day will be in Storrs, Conn., and the contest is scheduled to start at 9:00 p.m.

Notes: Syracuse is 9-1 all-time against the Bulls... SU tied a school record with its 28th regular-season victory ... Syracuse's 26-0 run was SU's largest of the season, bettering the 23-0 run in the first half at N.C. State ... Syracuse is 18-0 at home ... Including the BIG EAST Tournament, Jim Boeheim has collected 399 conference victories ... SU never trailed against USF once it took the 21-20 lead ... A crowd of 25,316 saw the Orange win while wearing new Nike uniforms ... Syracuse was one of nine schools selected by Nike to use the new designs.