Senior forward Rick Jackson currently has six points and a game-best 10 rebounds for the No. 17 Syracuse Orange, who lead the Connecticut Huskies (No. 6 in the AP poll and No. 7 in the USA Today/ESPn coaches poll), 26-25 at halftime in a Big East Conference match up at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. Syracuse is trying to snap a four-game losing streak and avoid losing five straight games for the first time in Jim Boeheim's tenure.
Jackson helped SU (18-4, 5-4 Big East) take the lead at halftime by nailing a left-handed hook shot that beat the first-half buzzer. Syracuse, which began the game shooting 0-for-6 from the field and trailed 6-0 in the game's first five and half minutes, used 10-2 run in the last 3:24 to earn a one-point margin into the locker room. Sophomore guard Brandon Triche has six points. Freshman forward C.J. Fair has added six off the bench.
The Huskies (17-3, 5-3) shot just 9-for-21 (29 percent) from the field and trail in the rebound department, 25-20. Junior guard and the nation's second-best scorer Kemba Walker has just five points. Sophomore forward Alex Oriakhi and freshman forward Jeremy Lamb each lead UConn in scoring with six points.