It didn't help that Villanova was hitting shot after shot over the 2-3 zone. The Wildcats started off on fire from three, making 62% of them in the first half. They finished shooting 46% from three and 50% from the field, as well as nailing 22 of 24 free throws.
Maalik Wayns led the way, going 6 for 11 and hitting all six free throws for 21 points. The two Corey's, Stokes and Fisher, had 16 points each.
Kris Joseph started to take over late in the second half, but it was too little too late. He played great in his first game back from injury, shooting 8 for 15, including four of seven from three for 23 points.
Joseph was not completely alone, though. Brandon Triche made four threes and finished with 14 points. Rick Jackson was a workhorse, sitting for barely a minute for the third straight game. Double Zero recorded yet another double double with 16 points and 15.
Things were looking good for Syracuse coming out of the gate, especially when Kris Joseph converted a four point play, but Villanova responded with great shooting of their own.
Syracuse made various runs throughout the game, but would get within four or five points only to dig themselves into another hole.
The key point of the game came with Syracuse making another comeback attempt late in the second half. After a made basket, the Orange put on their full court press and Kris Joseph came up with a steal and a fast break dunk on the other end, pulling Syracuse within four and igniting the crowd.
But the following inbounds became questionable when one ref signaled a five second violation on the inbound, only to later grant the Wildcats a timeout. Villanova made their free throws late, icing the game.
Individually, nearly every Orange played poorly. Dion Waiters and Scoop Jardine combined for three of 20 shooting. C.J. Fair and James Southerland, usually key contributors coming off the bench, combined for only four points. Baye Moussa-Keita showed promise at first, but finished with only five points.
The difference in the game came at the charity stripe, where Villanova shot 22 for 24 while Syracuse made only 8 of 12. Had the Orange played sound defense and not given so many open looks and sloppy fouls, it would have been a different game.
After starting out 18-0, Syracuse has shown that perhaps their preseason ranking of 13 may be closer to who they really are than their current ranking of 3. Coach Jim Boeheim stated "can we get better? I think we can. We still have a lot of work ahead of us to get better."
The loss drops Syracuse to 5-2 in the Big East, good enough for third place. They play Seton Hall at home on Tuesday.
Maalik Wayns led the way, going 6 for 11 and hitting all six free throws for 21 points. The two Corey's, Stokes and Fisher, had 16 points each.
Kris Joseph started to take over late in the second half, but it was too little too late. He played great in his first game back from injury, shooting 8 for 15, including four of seven from three for 23 points.
Joseph was not completely alone, though. Brandon Triche made four threes and finished with 14 points. Rick Jackson was a workhorse, sitting for barely a minute for the third straight game. Double Zero recorded yet another double double with 16 points and 15.
Things were looking good for Syracuse coming out of the gate, especially when Kris Joseph converted a four point play, but Villanova responded with great shooting of their own.
Syracuse made various runs throughout the game, but would get within four or five points only to dig themselves into another hole.
The key point of the game came with Syracuse making another comeback attempt late in the second half. After a made basket, the Orange put on their full court press and Kris Joseph came up with a steal and a fast break dunk on the other end, pulling Syracuse within four and igniting the crowd.
But the following inbounds became questionable when one ref signaled a five second violation on the inbound, only to later grant the Wildcats a timeout. Villanova made their free throws late, icing the game.
Individually, nearly every Orange played poorly. Dion Waiters and Scoop Jardine combined for three of 20 shooting. C.J. Fair and James Southerland, usually key contributors coming off the bench, combined for only four points. Baye Moussa-Keita showed promise at first, but finished with only five points.
The difference in the game came at the charity stripe, where Villanova shot 22 for 24 while Syracuse made only 8 of 12. Had the Orange played sound defense and not given so many open looks and sloppy fouls, it would have been a different game.
After starting out 18-0, Syracuse has shown that perhaps their preseason ranking of 13 may be closer to who they really are than their current ranking of 3. Coach Jim Boeheim stated "can we get better? I think we can. We still have a lot of work ahead of us to get better."
The loss drops Syracuse to 5-2 in the Big East, good enough for third place. They play Seton Hall at home on Tuesday.
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