Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Syracuse 61, Seton Hall 56
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 8, 2011
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Officials: # Brent Hampton, # Ed Hightower, # Wally Rutecki
Attendance: 10862

Kris Joseph led the way with 15 points and eight rebounds and Brandon Triche added 15 points as No. 4 Syracuse held off Seton Hall, 61-56, on Saturday.

Rick Jackson chipped in nine points and 14 rebounds for the Orange (16-0, 3-0 Big East), who will put their perfect record to the test over the next two weeks with No. 25 Cincinnati, No. 5 Pittsburgh and No. 7 Villanova coming up after St. John’s on Wednesday.

Seton Hall shot 23 percent (8 of 35) in the first half but went into the break down just 20-19. The Pirates managed to stay close by forcing nine turnovers and taking 13 more shots than Syracuse.

Both teams fared better from the floor in the second half, with the Orange taking control on a 10-2 run early in the period that Triche bookended with a pair of 3-pointers. Seton Hall closed to 38-33 on Keon Lawrence’s 3-pointer two minutes later, but Triche stemmed that rally with a four-point play on a 3-pointer and foul shot.

The Pirates (7-9, 1-3) weren’t done and got seven points from Herb Pope during an 11-0 burst that brought them within 53-51 with 2:53 left. Pope finished with 14 points and 20 rebounds, but Seton Hall could not overcome 3-of-26 shooting from beyond the arc in dropping its third straight game.
Top Game Performances
 
Syracuse   Seton Hall
Kris Joseph 15 Scoring Jeff Robinson 17
Rick Jackson 4 Assists Jordan Theodore 6
Rick Jackson 14 Rebounds Herb Pope 20
Kris Joseph 8 Free Throws Made Herb Pope 4
Kris Joseph 2 Steals Herb Pope 4
Rick Jackson 2 Blocks N/A
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Syracuse 61 44.2 6-17 17-36 9 30 5 6
Seton Hall 56 31.3 3-26 11-13 12 43 0 7