West Virginia W. Virginia/Syracuse Syracuse Men's College Basketball recap on ESPN

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -- Syracuse forgot about defense in the second half against West Virginia. The Orangemen (No. 10 ESPN/USA Today, No. 11 AP) did remember how to win.

Preston Shumpert scored 25 points and DeShaun Williams 23 as the Orangemen (15-1, 4-0 Big East) hit 11 3-pointers and held on for an 86-80 victory over the Mountaineers on Saturday night.

It marked the 10th straight time the Mountaineers (9-4, 0-2) have lost to a ranked team, but they made Syracuse work hard for this one. West Virginia got 10 baskets from close range in the second half, converting 65.4 percent of its shots.

That didn't exactly please Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who got his 590th career victory to tie UConn coach Jim Calhoun on the career list.

"It was two teams not playing much defense," Boeheim said. "You've got to play both ends. When it's quiet in the (Carrier) Dome, we don't seem to get moving. We just stand still. We just had enough of a lead."

It didn't seem that way for most of the game.

Leading by 11 to start the second half, Syracuse threatened to run away with it. Shumpert hit his fourth 3-pointer and Williams followed with a runner in the lane in the first minute to make it 47-31.

"They got us so down in the first half," said Chris Moss, who had 16 points for West Virginia. "It's hard to fight back on someone else's floor."

Allen Griffin's three-point play boosted the lead to 52-37 with 16:48 left, but the Mountaineers rallied with 11 straight points in a 2:53 span. Lionel Armstead hit a pair of 3s, Tim Lyles hit another and Moss' rebound basket narrowed Syracuse's lead to 52-48 with 14:50 left.

"I liked their spirit," West Virginia coach Gale Catlett said. "I thought we hung in there. They made some tough shots. We're not used to guarding people out that far."

Syracuse was 11-for-28 from 3-point range and the Mountaineers were 9-for-19, getting a game-high six from Armstead, who equaled his career best.

"Thank God we've got great 3-point shooters," said Griffin, who had 13 points and a career-high 13 assists. "Our defense wasn't doing it, but we kept hitting shots."

So did the Mountaineers.

Calvin Bowman led West Virginia with 20 points and 13 rebounds, Armstead had 18 points, and Tim Lyles added 11 and a career-high 12 assists.

Every time Syracuse appeared ready to take control, the Mountaineers rallied.

When Kueth Duany's layup midway through the second half gave the Orangemen a 65-56 lead, Moss responded with a three-point play and John Oliver hit a layup.

When Shumpert converted a fast-break layup, Armstead replied with a 3.

After Lyles converted two free throws to pull West Virginia to 74-71 with 3:53 left, two plays by Syracuse center Billy Celuck helped the Orangemen hold on.

Celuck, who sat out the previous two games because of academic problems, hit a jumper in the lane and fed Damone Brown for an easy layup and Syracuse had a 78-72 lead.

"Without Billy, we don't win this game," Boeheim said. "Billy made two huge plays."

Armstead hit his last two 3s in the final 2:36 but missed two others in the final minute and Syracuse escaped.

"They were right in it until the end," said Williams, who had four 3s. "They didn't give up."

ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard

West Virginia Clubhouse

Syracuse Clubhouse

AUDIO/VIDEO
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Damone Brown makes a steal and finishes at the other end with a jam.
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Allen Griffin feeds Kueth Duany in the lane to finish the break for Syracuse.
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Tim Lyles finds Chris Moss for an easy West Virginia score.
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Kueth Duany goes the distance for a hoop and the foul.
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Allen Griffin cuts through the lane for a Syracuse bucket and the foul.
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DeShaun Williams gets past his shooting woes on Saturday against West Virginia.
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