No. 22 Marquette 74, No. 12 Syracuse 71: Davante Gardner rebounded from a poor game with a career-high 26 points and eight boards off the bench to power the host Golden Eagles past the Orange.
Gardner was nearly perfect following a two-point, one-rebound performance in a loss to Villanova on Saturday, shooting 7-of-7 from the field and 12-of-13 from the foul line for Marquette (20-7, 11-4 Big East).
C.J. Fair poured in a team-high 20 points for Syracuse (22-6, 10-5), which lost consecutive games for the second time this season and has dropped four of its last five on the road.
The Orange started fast and controlled much of the first half, building an 11-point lead twice. Gardner ignited a half-ending 13-5 rally with a three-point play and a jumper over the last 2:18 to cut the Golden Eagles’ deficit to 32-29 at the break.
Syracuse grabbed a seven-point advantage for the last time on a layup by Brandon Triche with 9:09 left after the teams exchanged leads twice over the early part of the second half, but two 3-pointers from Todd Mayo and four points from Gardner helped Marquette take control. Mayo’s two free throws with 1:30 remaining capped a 19-4 run for the Golden Eagles, who held off Syracuse by converting nine of their 12 free throws over the final 90 seconds.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Marquette shot 29-of-35 from the foul line, setting a season high in made free throws. … Triche, the Orange’s leading scorer, finished with eight points – the third time over the last seven games he has been held to fewer than 10 points. … The Golden Eagles improved to 15-0 at home this season and have won 24 consecutive at the Bradley Center – the second-longest active streak in the country.
Syracuse | Marquette | |
C.J. Fair 20 | Scoring | Davante Gardner 26 |
Brandon Triche 8 | Assists | Jamil Wilson 7 |
Baye Moussa Keita 8 | Rebounds | Davante Gardner 8 |
C.J. Fair 3 | Free Throws Made | Davante Gardner 12 |
Michael Carter-Williams 2 | Steals | Junior Cadougan 4 |
James Southerland 2 | Blocks | Chris Otule 1 |