SYRACUSE (AP) -- Kris Joseph scored 15 points, Wes Johnson added 14 and No. 4 Syracuse rallied from a big early deficit to beat seventh-ranked Georgetown 73-56 on Monday night.
Syracuse (20-1, 7-1 Big East) has won seven straight since a home loss to Pittsburgh and has defeated Georgetown (15-4, 6-3) six consecutive times in the Carrier Dome.
It was the 819th career win for Orange coach Jim Boeheim, breaking a tie with UConn's Jim Calhoun for sixth in Division I. Boeheim also extended his Division I record for most 20-win seasons to 32 in his 34 years at his alma mater.
Austin Freeman led Georgetown with 23 points and Jason Clark had 15. Greg Monroe had eight points and only four rebounds before fouling out with 6:27 left. Chris Wright, averaging 15 points, finished with seven.
Syracuse, which trailed by 14 just 3 minutes into the game, started the second half with an 18-8 surge to take command as the Hoyas failed to find the openings in the Orange's zone defense that they did early on.
After only attempting two shots in the first half, Rick Jackson converted a lay-in, a deft hook over Monroe along the baseline, and a follow after a steal by Johnson — all in a 79-second span — to give the Orange a 43-33 lead with 16:10 left.
After Jason Clark drained a wide-open 3 from the left corner, Johnson responded with a 3 from the top of the key. Scoop Jardine's no-look pass found Joseph underneath for a layup and Joseph converted a pair of free throws to boost the lead to 52-37 at 12:37.
Unfazed by the boisterous crowd, the Hoyas scored the game's first 14 points, hitting their first four 3-pointers as Boeheim winced with every shot.
Georgetown patiently passed the ball around the perimeter on each early possession, waiting for someone to get open, and Freeman often was the choice. He hit from the left wing, the right corner and the top of the key and Clark added another 3 from the left wing — all in the first 3:01.
After that, the Orange became more aggressive with their 2-3 zone and stormed back, never allowing the Hoyas to get any rhythm and denying the inside passes. Syracuse finished with 13 steals and eight blocks.
Jardine played a key role in Syracuse's comeback. After Jardine swished a 3 from the left wing, Rautins fed Joseph for a layup, then stole an inbounds pass and sent Brandon Triche off on a fast-break layup.
Jardine then scored six straight points, converting two layups and a pullup jumper to get Syracuse within two with 8:19 left in the opening half.
Rautins hit a pair of 3s, Triche fed Arinze Onuaku for a slam dunk, and Joseph finished the half with a pair of layups to give the Orange a 34-29 halftime lead.
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