SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Maalik Wayns scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half and No. 7 Villanova took a big lead then held on to beat third-ranked Syracuse 83-72 in front of a raucous Carrier Dome crowd Saturday.
It was the second straight game for each squad against a top-10 team. Villanova (17-2, 5-1 Big East) lost 61-59 at No. 8 Connecticut on Monday, when the Orange (18-2, 5-2) lost 74-66 at fifth-ranked Pitt. Syracuse had won 16 straight at the Carrier Dome dating to last February, but disappointed a season-high crowd of 33,736, second-largest in the building's history.
The Wildcats hit 8 3-pointers in the first half and withstood a late Syracuse rally. The Orange closed what had been a 13-point lead to five when Baye Moussa Keita converted a three-point play to move Syracuse within 75-70 with 63 seconds left.
But the Wildcats hit six straight foul shots to hold on.