Well this isn’t good.

In tonight’s contest from the world’s most famous arena, the Syracuse Orange took on old Big East rival Connecticut in the highly venerable, ever so revered, Tire Pros Classic. Neither team played well offensively, and eventually it was UConn who came out on top 52-50.

UConn came out in a zone against Syracuse and the Orange were content to pass the ball around the perimeter for threes. To no avail, Syracuse shot 1-12 from three and took a meager 23-21 lead into the half.

In the second half Syracuse was able to get 14-5 run and extend the lead to 11 but UConn fought back and eventually took a late 49-44 lead with under four minutes to play. Andrew White hit a three with less than 10 seconds to go to tie the game but a foul on the ensuing possession put UConn on the line with 2.2 seconds left. Christian Vital made two and a homerun pass by Syracuse went awry giving UConn the win.

Coleman Continues Solid Play

Although he gave up a few shots in the zone, DaJuan Coleman made his presence known on the glass. He finished with 10 points, 15 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Other Stats

Both teams played terribly on offense as UConn shot 31.4 percent from the floor while Syracuse shot an even more deplorable 25.9 percent. White finished as the high point man with 14 points — nobody other than White or Coleman scored in double-figures.

Next Up

Syracuse returns home to host Boston University on Saturday. That game tips at noon from the Carrier Dome.