Despite a valiant comeback in the second half, the Hoyas were unable to hold their slim lead over Syracuse, and fell to the Orange 58-51 on the Hoyas senior day.
Austin Freeman led the Hoyas in scoring with 16 points, followed up by Jason Clark, who had 11.
The Hoyas started the second half down by ten points. They had to battle back to regain the lead thanks to a 10-1 run that was punctuated with two huge Nate Lubuck buckets that put the Hoyas ahead temporarily by a score of 45-43.
But once the Orange were able to tie the game back up at 45, it was all Syracuse the rest of the way. Scoop Jardine led his team with 17, but none more important than a crucial three pointer he hit with just under five minutes to go, giving the Orange a six point cushion that felt much larger than that. From there, they were able to shorten the game, and close it out in the final minutes.
For the Hoyas, this game hurts, especially since they were able to valiantly come back without their senior point guard Chris Wright. They are now 10-7 in the Big East, and since they have lost, they will not earn the double bye in the Big East tournament. They will play their final regular season game on the road as they travel to face the Cincinnati Bearcats next Saturday.