Senior forward Dwayne Anderson led No. 14 Villanova past No. 25 Syracuse on Sunday at the Carrier dome posting a career high 22 points en route to a 89–86 victory.
“Relief?” Anderson said to the Associated Press (AP), repeating the question asked to him. “A Big East road win—so yes.”
Despite the high score, Villanova (22–5, 10–4) had its troubles against Syracuse (19–8, 7–7) and their patented 2–3 zone defense.
The Wildcats were able to hold on for the victory when the Orange missed three 3-pointers in the final 10 seconds after missing three more shots inside the arc in the final minute of the game.
Discussing the loss, and the last possession of the game, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim told the AP, “We battled about as well as we can battle at the end. We got good looks, the whole game.”
Sophomore guard Corey Fischer added 16 points and senior forward Dante Cunningham ripped down 12 rebounds in the Wildcats win.
The Orange were paced offensively by Jonny Flynn’s 12 points and eight assists and junior guard Eric Devendorf’s 22 points.
The Wildcats can also get relief from the fact that they have pretty much solidified themselves as the fifth seed come Big East Tournament time, which results in a first round bye. And with all 16 teams now making the tournament, that bye becomes ever more valuable.
The win marks Villanova’s eighth in nine tries, and Syracuse’s sixth loss in their last eight games and seventh loss of their last 10.
Terps Upset Tar Heels
It had been 22 years since a Maryland player had gotten a triple-double and junior guard Greivis Vasquez could not have picked a better time to end that drought than in an upset overtime victory over No. 3 North Carolina 88–85 on Saturday.
Vasquez’s triple-double was the first by a Maryland player since Derrick Lewis did it twice in 1987.
Vasquez scored 35 points, pulled down 11 boards, and dished out 10 assists as he led Maryland (17–9, 6–6) on a 16-point come back to defeat North Carolina (24–3, 10–3). The loss snapped the Tar Heels’ 10-game winning streak.
Despite coming in as the heavily favored team, North Carolina head coach Roy Williams thought the better team won.
“The best team won today,” Williams told the AP. “The stronger team, the tougher team, the better-coached team.”
The Tar Heels were led behind junior point guard Ty Lawson’s 24 points and senior forward Tyler Hansbrough’s double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.
“I just have no words to describe the feeling right now,” Vasquez told the AP following the game. “It was an unbelievable game. I’ve played big-time games at Maryland, but I put that game on top.”
Matt Sugam is a writer based in New Jersey.
