Syracuse Edges Louisville to Extend Streak to 6 Games, Kansas, Baylor Win

Syracuse University rallied from a five-point deficit while holding the University of Louisville scoreless in the closing three minutes, 39 seconds for a one- point win in college basketball.

A layup by C.J. Fair, who came off the bench to lead the Orange with 13 points last night, secured the 52-51 win for second-ranked Syracuse at KFC Yum! Center in Louisville. Fair’s basket with 2:12 left provided the last points of the game for either team and ended a seven-game losing run for the Orange against the 19th-ranked Cardinals.

Syracuse has won six straight since its only defeat in 27 games this season, a 67-58 loss to Notre Dame. The Orange are 13-1 against Big East opponents, while Louisville (20-6) is 8-5 in conference play.

Syracuse has four regular-season games remaining, at Rutgers and Connecticut, and at home against South Florida and Louisville. Kentucky (25-1), which is ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, next plays Feb. 18 against Mississippi.

Tyshawn Taylor scored 20 points and Jeff Withey had 18 as fourth-ranked Kansas defeated Big 12 conference rival Kansas State 59-53 at Fred Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kansas, for its third win in a row. The Jayhawks improved to 21-5 and 11-2 in conference play, while the Wildcats dropped to 17-8 and 6-7.

Baylor rebounded from consecutive losses with a 79-64 win against Iowa State. Perry Jones III led the ninth-ranked Bears with 18 points, while Melvin Ejim had 17 points for the Cyclones at Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas.

The Bears improved to 22-4 and 9-4 in the Big 12, while Iowa State fell to 18-8 and 8-5 in conference play.

To contact the reporter on this story: Dex McLuskey in Dallas at dmcluskey@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net