Syracuse defeated Pittsburgh 62-59 in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Big East Conference tournament. After leading by double-digits in the half, Syracuse almost let a 13-point halftime lead escape late in the game. Thanks to a big game from beyond the arc, the Orange were able to hang on for the win.
James Southerland had 20 points after going 6-6 from three. He finished the game shooting 7-10 from the floor. He was one of four starters in double digits scoring as C.J. Flair added 13, Brandon Triche added 12 and Michael Carter-Williams put in 11.
Though Carter-Williams production looks sub-par in comparison to the rest of the guys, he made the final seven points for Syracuse after the 3:47 minute mark in the closing minutes of the game.
Carter-Williams wasn't only making shots. He came up with a key assist that widened a shrinking Syracuse lead. After Pittsburgh had narrowed the lead to just five points with 5:33 to play and the scoreboard reading 52-47, Carter-Williams hit Southerland who knocked down the three and pushed it back to an eight-point game. Carter-Williams went on to knockdown five free throws and a layup to close out the game.
Pittsburgh out rebounded the Orange 33-26 and brought down a total of 16 offensive boards which ultimately helped them come back in the game.
They outscored Syracuse 32-22 in the second half and held them to almost half as many points after allowing 40 in the first half.
With the victory, Syracuse advances to the semifinals where they will face Georgetown, who defeated Cincinnati earlier in the day.
It will be a matchup of Big East powerhouses tomorrow as these two teams are set to take over Madison Square Garden as only one will be fortunate enough to advance to the tournament finals.
