Maalik Wayns led the way with 21 points and Corey Fisher added 16 and seven assists as No. 7 Villanova knocked off No. 3 Syracuse 83-72 at the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

Corey Stokes chipped in 16 points for the Wildcats (17-2, 5-1 Big East), who bounced back after suffering a last-second loss at Connecticut earlier in the week.

Villanova found a way to attack Syracuse’s 2-3 zone early by knocking down 3-pointers and leaning on 17 points from Wayns in the first half. Fisher nailed three 3-pointers and Wayns scored seven points during an 18-6 run through the middle of the half that pushed the Wildcats’ lead to 14 points. They went into the break up 40-29, having shot 56 percent from the floor, including 8 of 13 from beyond the arc.

The Orange cut it down to 55-49 after Rick Jackson converted a three-point play with 12:26 left, but five turnovers over the next six minutes allowed Villanova to go on a 10-3 run and push the lead back to double digits.

Syracuse (18-2, 5-2 Big East) had one last burst in it, cutting it down to 69-65 with 2:40 left. But the Wildcats called a timeout and regrouped, going 12 of 12 from the free throw line over the last 2:33 to seal it.

The Orange have dropped two games this week to top-10 opponents after falling at No. 4 Pittsburgh on Monday.