SYRACUSE, N.Y., Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Scoop Jardine helped Syracuse recover from a sluggish start Wednesday and the No. 2 Orange won for the eighth straight time, 56-48 over South Florida.
After leading by as many as 13 points early in the contest, the Bulls endured a scoreless stretch of more than 11 minutes to fall short in their upset bid.
Jardine scored 15 points and C.J. Fair had 13. Syracuse has not lost since falling to Notre Dame Jan. 21.
South Florida took a 20-7 lead with 8:49 left in the first half and did not score another point before the break. The Bulls did not produce a point in the second half until 2:35 had elapsed, by which time Syracuse had built a 13-point cushion.
Syracuse improved to 28-1 and is 15-1 in Big East Conference action with a two-game lead over Notre Dame in the league race.
The Bulls (17-11, 10-5) had won four in a row. Anthony Collins scored 12 points for South Florida and Toarlyn Fitzpatrick had 11.
