It won’t go down as an “instant classic” like the meeting in the 2006 Big East Tournament or the six overtime thriller from 2009, but there was still plenty of drama Monday night at Madison Square Garden between Syracuse and UConn.
The Huskies battled back from a double-digit second half deficit to take a late lead. SU tied it with nine seconds left on a deep three from Andrew White.
However, UConn answered as Christian Vital was fouled by Tyus Battle on a putback attempt with two seconds left.
Vital made both free throws and that was the difference. Syracuse was unable to get a shot off as UConn rallied to win 52-50.
Both teams struggled shooting the basketball, but SU especially had a hard time. The Orange made just 25.9% of its field goal attempts.
According to ESPN, that’s the worst shooting percentage in a game for Syracuse in the last 20 years.
Andrew White and DaJuan Coleman were the only two SU players to score in double figures.
White led the way with 14 points while Coleman was solid again with 10 points and 15 rebounds. UConn’s Rodney Purvis led all scorers with 21 points. He also had seven rebounds and seven assists.
The Orange has now lost three of its last four, a similar stretch to this time last year.
SU is hosting Boston University at the Dome, with a tip time at noon on Saturday.