Senior guard Mike Coburn has scored a game-best 12 points, including a buzzer-beating 3-point shot that helped the Rutgers Scarlet Knights take a 44-43 halftime advantage over the Syracuse Orange (No. 17 in the AP Poll and No. 20 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll) in a Big East Conference game at the Carrier Dome. Freshman forward Gilvyds Biruta has chipped in with nine points and four rebounds for Rutgers (13-12, 4-9 Big East), which so far has out rebounded SU 15-9.
Syracuse jumped out to an early 25-15 lead, but Rutgers outscored the Orange 28-18 in the last 10:16 to take a one-point margin into the locker room. SU Sophomore guard Brandon Triche and senior forward Rick Jackson are each pacing the Orange (21-6, 8-6) with 11 points. Triche has added three assists, while Jackson has collected five rebounds. Freshman C.J. Fair has eight-bench points and junior forward Kris Joseph, SU's leading scorer with 14.8 points per game, has just six.
Statistically, Syracuse is 14 for 24 (58.3 percent) from the floor and 4 for 11 (36.4) from behind the 3-point line. Rutgers finished the half 18-of-33 (54.5) on field goals and 5-of-9 (55.6) from 3-point land.