Syracuse Claws Out Win Over Pitt

It was an old-fashioned physical battle, the type of game that epitomized the rich history of the Big East Conference.

And when it ended, Syracuse was left standing with a 62-57 battle-scarred win over Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals of the tournament on Thursday before an announced sellout crowd of 19,763

The win sets up a marquee matchup of No. 19 Syracuse and No. 5 Georgetown in the semifinals Friday.

Syracuse (25-8) received 20 points from forward James Southerland, 13 points from C.J. Fair and 12 from Brandon Triche. No. 18 Pittsburgh (24-8) was led by Lamar Patterson's 14 points.

Southerland set a Big East Tournament record for most three-pointers made in a game without a miss, connecting on 6 of his 6 long distance shots.

"I didn't realize I was 6-for-6 until I looked down at the paper now," admitted Southerland in the post-game press conference. "I don't think about it. I just gout and play and make sure I make every shot."

Syracuse and Pittsburgh will take their rivalry to the ACC next season as part of an exodus from the 34-year-old conference.

Every loose ball was seemingly contested and open looks were as rare as a Jim Boeheim smile. The refs called 32 personal fouls.

Pittsburgh center Steven Adams had the scars to prove it — two huge scratches on his right shoulder.

Syracuse guard Michael Carter-Williams hit four clutch free throws in the final 30 seconds, including both ends of a one-and-one with 10 seconds left to seal the win for the Orange.

For the second day in a row, Southerland scored 17 first-half points. In two tournament games, the 6-8 Southerland made 12 of his 15 three-point attempts.

He gave the Orange a 55-47 cushion with a 3-pointer with 5:33 to go, but Pittsburgh would cut that lead to one at 58-57 with 32 seconds left on a Talib Zanna layup. Zanna was fouled but failed to tie the score when his free throw attempt rimmed out.

Carter-Williams grabbed the rebound and was promptly fouled. The sophomore guard sank both shots to give the Orange a 60-57 lead. On Pitt's next possession Carter-Williams stepped in front of a James Patterson pass near mid court and was fouled again. He hit both shots to make it 62-57 with 10 seconds left.

Georgetown 62, Cincinnati 43: Otto Porter Jr. hit all 11 of his free throws and scored a game-high 18 points as the Hoyas pulled away in the second half to cruise past the Bearcats in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden.

Markel Starks poured in 14 points and and D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera added 13 for Georgetown (25-5), which has won 13 of its last 14 games and will meet fifth-seeded Syracuse in Friday's semifinals. The Hoyas also avenged a double-overtime quarterfinal loss against Cincinnati last season.

Cashmere Wright shot 4-of-5 beyond the arc and paced the Bearcats (22-11) with 14 points. JaQuon Parker finished with 12 points and was the only other Cincinnati player in double figures.

Jabril Trawick hit two 3-pointers and scored eight of his team's first 13 points, helping the Hoyas roll to a 24-8 advantage as the Bearcats missed eight of their first 10 shots and committed nine turnovers over the first 15:02 of the contest. Wright found his stroke and drained three 3-pointers before intermission to pull Cincinnati within 29-24.

Wright hit his fourth 3-pointer to knot the game early in the second and completed the 25-7 surge with another jumper to give Cincinnati its biggest lead of the game at 33-31, but Smith-Rivera and Starks combined to score 14 of the Georgetown's next 20 points to regain a 51-39 cushion with 5:11 left. The Bearcats were outscored 31-10 over the final 15:43 and managed one field goal over the last 9:29.

Louisville 74, Villanova 55: They're called the Cardinals, but Louisville plays defense like pesky gnats.

In the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament Thursday night, No. 4 Louisville (27-5) swarmed all over Villanova (20-13), 74-55 at Madison Square Garden.