UConn downs Syracuse in final Big East meeting
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The curtain was lowered on the rivalry between Connecticut and Syracuse as Big East mates Wednesday night, and the Huskies extended the road woes of the outgoing sixth-ranked Orange with a 66-58 win at the XL Center.
Ryan Boatright scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting for the Huskies (17-6, 7-4 Big East), who got 15 points and six rebounds from Omar Calhoun.
"It was a great game by our guys," said Connecticut head coach Kevin Ollie. "We played with energy, effort and focus."
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Michael Carter-Williams had 15 points for Syracuse (20-4, 8-3), which has lost three straight on the road for the first time since dropping five in a row from Jan. 14-Feb. 11, 2009.
Connecticut and Syracuse were charter members of the Big East Conference in 1979-80. The Orange are headed to the ACC next season.
"It's been a great series. Connecticut and Syracuse have had so many great games over the years...The league wasn't able to be kept together. I feel bad about the whole thing," said Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim.
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The Huskies were down one in the second half before Calhoun heated up from beyond the arc. He nailed three of UConn's four 3-pointers during a 16-6 surge that put the home team up 55-46 with 6:13 remaining.
The advantage reached 10 at 59-49 on a pair of Niels Giffey free throws nearly three minutes later.
Carter-Williams hit a layup to close the gap to 63-57, but Syracuse couldn't convert another basket over the final 2:14.
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A back-and-forth first frame ended with Boatright draining a 3-pointer. The buzzer-beating shot gave UConn a 29-24 edge.
Game Notes
Shabazz Napier had 10 points and seven assists for the Huskies ... Brandon Triche, Syracuse's leading scorer, finished 3-of-15 with nine points ... The Orange were held to 35.4 percent shooting ... The Huskies beat Syracuse at home for the first time since Feb. 11, 2009, snapping a two-game skid.