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No. 5 Syracuse Heads To Morgantown To Challenge 10th-Ranked West Virginia
Morgantown, WV (Sports Network) - Brandon Triche finished with 16 points, as fifth-ranked Syracuse withstood a furious West Virginia rally to take a 72-71 victory over the 10th-ranked Mountaineers at WVU Coliseum.
Saturday’s game was the first in Coliseum history in which both West Virginia and its opponent were ranked in the top 10, and it provided a tense finish befitting the rankings.
The Orange (17-1, 4-1 Big East) held a 10-point lead with about 1 1/2 minutes to play, but the Mountaineers (13-3, 4-2) sank numerous shots and took advantage of missed Syracuse free throws to get within a possession.
Darryl Bryant sank a three from the top of the arc with 3.1 seconds left to bring West Virginia within 72-71, and Kris Joseph was fouled with 2.5 still on the clock. Joseph missed both attempts, which actually turned out poorly for West Virginia, as Da'Sean Butler couldn't get a quality shot off before the buzzer.
Wesley Johnson and Joseph each scored 13 for Syracuse, which has won four in a row. Andy Rautins provided 12 points and seven rebounds before fouling out.
Bryant had a game-high 18 points for West Virginia, which has lost two of three.
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