Scoop Jardine had 15 points to lead all scorers as the #2 Syracuse Orange (28-1, 15-1) defeated the USF Bulls (17-11, 10-5) 56-48 tonight at the Carrier Dome. C.J. Fair chipped in 13 points while Kris Joseph added 12 points for the Orange. Freshman PG Anthony Collins had 12 points and 10 assists to lead the Bulls while Toarlyn Fitzpatrick had 11 points and 7 rebounds.
The Bulls raced out to an 20-7 lead with 8:52 to go in the first half, but the Orange went into a full court press, and the Bulls could not figure it out, turning the ball over 12 times in the first half. Syracuse went on a 26-0 run over the next 11 minutes to take a 33-20 lead with 17:32 left in the game.
The Bulls slowly but surely whittled down the lead to 3 points with 7:14 to go after a Toarlyn Fitzpatrick layup, but the sequence of the game happened 2 and a half minutes later. Augustus Gilchrist missed a three pointer with 4:54 remaining and fouled Scoop Jardine for a three-point play on the other end to make its a six point game. The Bulls were unable to make get it any closer, and the Orange slowly pulled away for the win.
The Bulls will next take on the Cincinnati Bearcats this Sunday at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Tipoff is schedule for 12:00 PM.