Brandon Triche led the way with 22 points and freshman Fab Melo added a career-high 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting as fourth-seeded Syracuse escaped with a 79-73 victory over fifth-seeded St. John’s on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big East Championship at Madison Square Garden.

Rick Jackson added 10 points and nine rebounds for the No. 11 Orange (26-6), who will face Connecticut on Friday in the semifinals.

Dwight Hardy scored 22 points for the No. 18 Red Storm (21-11), who have lost only twice this season at Madison Square Garden - both times to Syracuse.

St. John’s tied it up at 68-68, when Sean Evans split a pair of free throws with 2:25 on the clock. But Syracuse took the lead back on the next possession on a Melo layup. After a defensive stand, the Orange got an offensive rebound, and Joseph drove the lane for another layup, pushing it out to 72-68 with 1:15 on the clock.

Dwight Hardy hit a pair of free throws to pull the Red Storm back within a basket, but Melo converted again at the 31-second mark, and Triche hit four free throws in the final 18 seconds to seal it.

St. John's guard D.J. Kennedy injured his knee in the first half and did not return.