Syracuse Orange Beat South Florida 55-44 On Brandon Triche’s Strong Finish

The Syracuse Orange used strong finishes at the end of each half to score a victory over South Florida on Sunday, 55-44, their first road conference matchup.

After trailing the Bulls 23-18 with five minutes to play in the first half, 'Cuse ended with a 12-0 run, taking a seven point lead into the break. Then, as a double-digit deficit was cut to five points down the stretch, the Orange outscored USF 8-2 in the final six minutes.

Brandon Triche had a game high 20 points for the seventh-ranked Orange, including 10 in the final 12 minutes of play. James Southerland added 17 points and eight rebounds, and C.J. Fair finished with 10 and 10.

Victor Rudd had a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards for the Bulls (9-4, 0-1) who were hosting their conference opener.

Syracuse (14-1, 2-0) will play at Providence on Wednesday night at 7:00.