Paced by junior guard Brandon Triche's 13 points and a electrifying 19-0 run, the No. 1-ranked Syracuse Orange have taken a commanding 37-19 halftime lead over No. 20 Marquette Golden Eagles in a Big East Conference game at the Carrier Dome. Senior forward Kris Joseph chipped in with six points during the run that featured the Orange (16-0, 3-0 Big East) pushing their lead from 16-12 to 35-12 with 2:42 remaining in the half.
Eight of Triche's points came in the first eight minutes, including a 3-pointer in the game's opening seconds, and helped SU take an early 16-11 advantage. From there, Syracuse pushed its lead to a game-high 23 points thanks to a stellar defense, which forced 12 turnovers and held Marquette to just 1 for 7 from behind the 3-point line, that allowed easy transition baskets.
Joseph finished the half with six points, as did sophomore forward C.J. Fair. However, the scrappy play of sophomore center Fab Melo, who collected five rebounds and took four charges, helped spur on the separating run.
For Marquette, senior guard Darius Johnson-Odom has eight points, while freshman DaVante Gardner has added seven points and three rebounds.
SB Nation New York is blogging live from press row at the Carrier Dome for the Syracuse vs. Marquette Big East showdown. Be sure to check back to this StoryStream for in-game and post-game updates. For more on the Orange, visit the SB Nation blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, while Anonymous Eagle as everything on Marquette. Make sure to follow along on Twitter at SBNationNY or JaredSmithCNY.