#6 Wildcats Top Orange

Tuesday, December 7

New York, N.Y.

9:30 PM

Syracuse University

5-4,1-0ACC

Villanova

7-2,0-0Big East

Villanova

Syracuse

12/7/2021 11:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Press Conference Highlights Photo Gallery

NEW YORK, N.Y.- Syracuse (5-4 overall, 1-0 ACC) falls to former Big East rival #6 Villanova (7-2), 67-53. The Wildcats' defense held the Orange offense to their lowest scoring outing of the year. Graduate forward Jimmy Boeheim recorded his second highest scoring showing of the season with a game high of 21 points, converting 10-19 (.526) from the field.

The Wildcats had four players in double digit points with junior guard Justin Moore leading the charge with 18 points. Moore and graduate guard Collin Gillespie both scored four 3-point shots a piece .

HOW THE GAME WAS DECIDED
After 28:47 minutes of play and 15 lead changes later, the Villanova offense claimed the lead with 11:53 to go in the second half. Three, 3-point shots, one from Moore and two from Gillespie ignited the 9-0 run that gave the Wildcats the edge for good.

TRADING THE LEAD
Former Wildcat Cole Swider blew the scoring open in the first minute of the game with a 3-pointer that was answered with two back-to-back shots from beyond the arc from Villanova's Moore and Jermaine Samuels. Following this, no team had the clear advantage until Syracuse took the lead with 11:31 to go on back-to-back field goals from Jimmy Boeheim. The Orange maintained the lead for the next eight minutes and 30 seconds.

Joe Girard III put Syracuse ahead by the largest margin of the half on a shot from the paint to take a 22-12 lead. Villanova managed to tie the score off a jumper from Brandon Slater and a pair of free throws from Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree. The Orange kept the lead thanks to a pair of blocks from Jesse Edwards, a 3-point field goal from Girard III and a bucket from Jimmy Boeheim in the final five seconds of the half to give Syracuse a 29-26 edge after 20 minutes.

FIREWORKS CONTINUE
Villanova's Gillespie tied the score 29-29 to start the second half with a shot beyond the arc. Following this, Syracuse and Villanova fought for the lead until Villanova came out on top with 11:53 to go. Jimmy Boeheim kept the Orange in the game with a pair of field goals to break-up the Wildcats' surge. With 4:16 left to play, Jermaine Samuels sunk a shot to claim the largest Villanova lead of the game 61-51. Despite the fight from the Orange offense, they could not convert in the final minutes of the game.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

Swider had a career high 10 defensive rebounds, also tying his career high of total rebounds at 12. This marks the first time an Orange member has contributed 10 defensive rebounds in a game since Marek Dolezaj recorded 10 boards in the game against Virginia Tech in 2020.
Syracuse outshot Villanova in the paint 22-14.
Swider also recorded a career best of three blocks.
Girard III shot 4-7 (.571) from the paint and 3-5 (.600) from outside the arc.

NEXT GAME
The Orange continue their road stretch to former Big East rival Georgetown on Saturday, Dec. 11. Tip off in the nation's capital set for 12:00 p.m.

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Gallery: (12-7-2021) Syracuse vs. Villanova