Senior point guard Scoop Jardine has a game-best 10 points for the Syracuse Orange, who lead the Villanova Wildcats, 29-27, at halftime of a Big East Conference game in Philadelphia. Despite trailing by two points, the No. 14-ranked Wildcats (21-6, 9-5) are happy with the margin after shooting just 8 of 33 (24.2 percent) from the floor, including a 8:44 span that featured no field goals, in the first half. Senior guard Corey Stokes has a team-best eight points. Sophomore Isaiah Armwood has six points.
The Orange (No. 17 in the AP poll and No. 20 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll) led by as much as nine points, but committed nine turnovers and 12 personal fouls in the first 20 minutes. SU (22-6, 9-6) led 27-20 with 1:40 to play in the first half, but 'Nova used a tiny 7-2 run to shrink the advantage heading into the locker room. Junior forward Kris Joseph, SU's leading scorer with 15 point per game, has three fouls and two points. Senior forward Rick Jackson has six points and three rebounds. Syracuse has attempted one free-throw shot, while Villanova 9-for-16 from the charity stripe.
Statically, SU is 13 of 29 (44.8) on field goals and 2 of 10 from behind the 3-point arc. 'Nova leads in the rebound margin, 18-16.