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No. 1 Syracuse stays unbeaten with win over NC State

Dec 18, 2011 - 4:19 AM Raleigh, NC (Sports Network) - Dion Waiters made a trio of three-pointers en route to 22 points, as the top-ranked Syracuse Orange remained perfect with an 88-72 victory over the NC State Wolfpack.

Kris Joseph also made three shots from beyond the arc and ended with 21 points for the Orange (11-0), who played their first true road game of the season Saturday.

Scoop Jardine tallied 16 points for Syracuse, which went 11-of-25 from three- point range. C.J. Fair and James Southerland each had 11 points.

C.J. Williams scored a career-high 25 points for the Wolfpack (6-4), who have lost three of four. C.J. Leslie and Richard Howell donated 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Lorenzo Brown recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 assists for NC State, which shot 57.7 percent from the field.

The Wolfpack trailed by double digits at the half, but opened the second stanza on a 17-3 run to tie the game. Williams had six points during the flurry, including a jumper with 15 1/2 minutes left to make it 50-50.

The home team kept it close until Syracuse used a late run to put the game away. Waiters and Jardine made consecutive three-pointers to spark a 23-7 burst. Jardine tallied 10 points during the run, including a layup with 59 seconds remaining to make it 86-68.

"Most of the game, we were doing some really good things," NC State head coach Mark Gottfried said. "We also had times when we didn't doing things well. We have to learn to sustain our good moments throughout the game.

"We didn't do that tonight, but I think we earned their respect with how we played."

The Wolfpack started the game on a 12-4 run, with Williams making a pair of three-pointers during the burst.

NC State continued to hold onto a slim margin before the Orange got hot from beyond the arc. Down by six, 29-23, with 8:12 remaining, Syracuse made five three-pointers during a 23-0 surge. Waiters' trey gave the visitors a 46-29 lead with under two minutes left.

The Orange shot 55.9 percent from the field in the first half and made eight three-pointers to grab a 47-33 edge.

Game Notes

Syracuse owns a 4-1 series lead over NC State...The Wolfpack hosted a top- ranked non-conference opponent for the first time since February 7, 1979...NC State's last win over a No. 1 team came on February 15, 2004, when it defeated Duke, 78-74, at the RBC Center...Syracuse shot 56.5 percent from the field.