Orange snap losing streak

The No. 17 Syracuse (23-7, 11-6) snapped a three-game losing streak, defeating the DePaul Blue Demons (11-19, 2-15) 78-57.  Wednesday night’s victory also marked the final home game for seniors Brandon Triche and James Southerland.

“I didn’t think I was going to be this excited just because we had lost three straight games,” guard Triche said. “I didn’t care who we were playing; we had to win.”

Photo: Keegan Barber

Trevor Cooney jumps during the lay-up for the two.

Southerland and junior forward C.J. Fair led the Orange with 22 points and 16 points, respectively. Southerland also recorded his first career double-double, grabbing 10 rebounds.

Triche also chipped in 15 points and 4 assists, while sophomore guard Michael Carter-Williams scored 10 points and led all players with five dishes.

The Orange came out of the gates slow after trailing by as much as six points with 10:41 left in the first half. Syracuse eventually caught up and passed DePaul after a 23-3 run to end the half. The second half saw more Syracuse dominance, as the Blue Demons were unable to catch.

Syracuse did not have a stellar offensive performance despite winning by a 21-point margin. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse’s head coach, said his team’s defense is what ultimately got them the win. The team’s defense has also kept the Orange in contention during its three-game skit.

“Our defense has been good all through this,” Boeheim said. “Offensively, we’re not playing well. We’re shooting about 18-percent from the three-point line.”

Syracuse shot 38.8-percent from the field and 11.1-percent from beyond the arc against DePaul. Boeheim is not too concerned about his team’s recent offensive woes, he said.

“The regular season is to work on everything and get better and all that,” Boeheim said. “But it’s to play good enough to get into the NCAA Tournament.

The win was a bittersweet one, as it marked the end of an era at the Carrier Dome. The game was the last one Syracuse played as a member of the Big East. Next season, the Orange moves to Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Orange close out the 2012-213 season against No. 5 Georgetown  at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, March 9 at noon.