Syracuse holds off St. John's

Syracuse holds off St. John’s

1/4

The Louisville Cardinals celebrate after they won 82–76 against the Michigan Wolverines during the 2013 NCAA Men’s Final Four Championship at the Georgia Dome on April 8, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

2/4

Florida Gulf Coast Eagles forward Eric McKnight and Florida Gators guard Scottie Wilbekin rebound during the first half in their South Regional NCAA men’s basketball game in Arlington, Texas. (Mike Stone/Reuters)

3/4

Duke Blue Devils guard Rasheed Sulaimon goes up for a slam dunk against the Michigan State Spartans in the second half during their Midwest Regional NCAA men’s basketball game. (Jeff Haynes/Reuters)

4/4

Louisville Cardinals’ Luke Hancock chases down a loose ball against Oregon Ducks’ Damyean Dotson during their Midwest Regional NCAA men’s basketball game in Indianapolis. (Jeff Haynes/Reuters)

Sports Network

March 14, 2014 8:31 AM PT

New York, NY (Sports Network) - Brandon Triche scored 22 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists to help 11th-ranked Syracuse stave off No. 17 St. John’s, 79-73, in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament.

Kris Joseph provided 14 points while Rick Jackson supplied 10 points and nine boards for the Orange (26-6), who face Connecticut in Friday’s semifinals.

Freshman Fab Melo chipped in with 12 points and Scoop Jardine added 10 for the Orange, who have won six consecutive games. Teams with the double-byes are now 4-6 since the league instituted that format for the 2008-09 tournament.

Dwight Hardy posted 22 points while Justin Brownlee contributed 15 points, seven boards and four assists for the Red Storm (21-11), who have not advanced to the semifinals since falling to Syracuse in 1998.

St. John’s D.J. Kennedy left early in the first half with an apparent knee injury and did not return to the game.

03/10 17:09:52 ET