Syracuse Beats Connecticut, Ends Losing Streak

Did you hear that gust of wind? That was all of the Syracuse fans collectively exhaling. The Orange won their first game in five tries, downing Connecticut 66-58.

Coach Boeheim wasn't joking when he said:

"This is a game we had to find a way to win. We made the plays we had to."

Brandon Triche scored 16, and Kris Joseph added 11 points. Although Rick Jackson was the rock of the team as he has been all season, recording 13 points and 13 rebounds.


Syracuse (19-4, 6-4) needed a solid performance from him now more than ever, and not just because of the losing streak. Rumors of a possible point shaving scandal have died down, but it posed a serious distraction going into the game.

Syracuse's Rock throws up two of his own in victory (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

The accused players, Scoop Jardine, Dion Waiters and James Southerland, did not play particularly well. Jardine shot only 2 for 11 and scored 7 points. Waiters shot 3 of 8, scoring 9 points. Southerland played for less than a minute, badly missing a three and going directly back to the bench.

The zone was major weak point during the losing streak, but it played well tonight, limiting Connecticut (17-4, 5-4) to 36% shooting. Player of the Year candidate shot 3 of 14 and scored only 8 points. Jeremy Lamb led the Huskies with 22 points.

UConn finds itself on a bit of a skid of its own, losing its last two. But as coach Boeheim said, "That's the league. You have to do that every night. This league is very, very difficult."

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