New York — For 20 minutes, the Syracuse Orange disrupted Villanova’s bevy of perimeter shooters.
Syracuse held Villanova to 5-for-28 shooting from 3-point range to take a three-point halftime lead in Tuesday’s Jimmy V Classic, and for a while it felt like old times at Madison Square Garden as chants of “Let’s go Orange!” echoed throughout the World’s Most Famous Arena.
But Villanova, one of the nation’s top 3-point shooting teams, eventually found the range and pulled away from Syracuse for a 67-53 victory.
In the second half, Villanova made eight of its 22 shots from 3-point range, but at one point was 7-for-15 from beyond the arc. Villanova’s ability to make 3-pointers ignited a 12-to-2 run midway through the half that turned a 45-43 Syracuse lead into a 55-47 advantage for the Wildcats.
Villanova came into the game ranked sixth in the country in 3-point shooting percentage. The Wildcats were making 42% of their 3s as a team.
Even when Villanova missed a shot attempt, the Wildcats often turned the miss into points. Villanova dominated the boards, outrebounding the Orange 57 to 36.
Villanova converted its offensive rebounds into 25 second-chance points. Syracuse, conversely, managed just seven second-chance points.
Syracuse fell to 5-4 with the loss, while sixth-ranked Villanova improved to 7-2.
Justin Moore and Collin Gillespie led Villanova with 18 and 14 points, respectively. They each made four 3-pointers.
In his first game at Madison Square Garden, Jimmy Boeheim scored a team-high 21 points.
However, Buddy Boeheim suffered through a rough shooting night. The senior guard scored just six points on 3-for-15 shooting. He missed all five of his 3-point attempts.
Syracuse trailed 46-45 midway through the second half and had two chances to take the lead, but Buddy Boeheim missed a pair of open 3-pointers.
That’s when the Wildcats went on the run that would put them in control of the game.
Cole Swider, the 6-foot-9 forward who transferred to Syracuse from Villanova after last season, seemed a little hyped up against his former team. Swider made just two out of seven field-goal attempts and finished with five points, but he did use his energy to grab 12 rebounds.
Syracuse will wrap up its stretch of six games away from home in a seven-game span with a trip to Washington D.C. to face Georgetown on Saturday.
MORE ORANGE BASKETBALL
You Grade the Orange: Rate Syracuse basketball performance vs. Villanova
Syracuse basketball box score vs. Villanova
Syracuse basketball vs. Villanova: Former Big East rivals meet at Madison Square Garden
ORANGE BASKETBALL FANS
Ad Choices