Senior forward Kris Joseph has tallied nine points and six rebounds to help the No. 2-ranked Syracuse Orange lead the St. John's Red Storm, 41-27, at halftime of a Big East Conference men's basketball game at Madison Square Garden. The Orange (22-1, 9-1 Big East) are trying to help head coach Jim Boeheim tie former North Carolina Tar Heels head coach, Dean Smith, for third place on the all-time Division I wins list (789).
The Orange missed its first five shot of the game and trailed 7-2 just 4:17 into the contest. However, Syracuse answered with a 10-0 run, which included baskets from five different players, to take a 12-7 lead with 13:10 to play in the half.
From there, the Orange used a 14-3 run, which featured a pair of 3-pointer from freshman guard Michael Carter-Williams, to take a 28-17 lead with 9:33 remaining. The Johnnies did a good job of hanging in the game during the closing minutes, but did not get any closer than eight points.
Overall, Syracuse outrebounded St. John's, 24-10, and shot 46.9-pecent (15-for-32) from the field.
Sophomore center Fab Melo tallied six points, two rebounds and two block in his returning minutes after missing the last three games because of an academic issue. Junior forward C.J. Fair netted six points and collected two rebounds, while Carter-Williams finished with six and added an assist.
Freshman Phil Greene and Moe Harkless each have netted at team-best seven points for St. John's, which has dropped six straight to Syracuse.
For more on Syracuse Basketball, check back to this StoryStream. Check out, the SB Nation's blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician to discuss everything on the Orange, while Rumble In The Garden is all about the Johnnies. If you're a college basketball nut, well, SB Nation's college basketball hub will solve your hoops cravings.