It was an old-fashion, Philly guard showdown in Syracuse Saturday afternoon.
And for the second time in four years, Maalik Wayns got the better of Antonio “Scoop” Jardine
Wayns had 13 points as Roman rallied from a 10-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat Neumann in the 2007 Catholic League championship game, 59-56. Jardine had 11 assists in that game.
Wayns one-upped Jardine again as Villanova rolled over Syracuse Saturday afternoon at the Carrier Dome, 83-72.
The 6-2 sophomore scored 17 of his 21 points in the first half to help the third-ranked Wildcats open up a 40-29 lead. The third-ranked Orange never go closer than four points the rest of the way.
Wayns was brilliant. He was 6-for-11 from the field and 3-for-7 from 3-point range. He also had two assists and no turnovers in 35 minutes.
Jardine struggled and never got into a rhythm. He wound up with just two points on 1-for-8 shooting and three assists in 22 minutes. The junior burned Villanova for 16 points and seven rebounds in a 95-77 whipping of the Wildcats last year before the largest on-campus crown in NCAA history.
As good as Wayns was, the key was Villanova's patience against the 2-3 Syracuse zone and a stellar performance off the bench by redshirt sophomore Maurice Sutton.
Villanova took it's time against Syracuse. The Wildcats did not get lured into a running game with the Orange, which was a tough task for the fast-break minded Wayns and his backcourtmate, Corey Fisher. Villanova's discipline was the difference, especially in the first half as the Wildcats shot 56 percent from the field (14-for-25) and a sizzling 61.5 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (8-for-13).
Sutton's defense on Kris Joseph down the stretch ended any hope of a comeback by the Orange. Although Joseph did score 16 of his game-high 23 points in the second half, he only had six points after drilling a 3-pointer with 13:05 to play. That's when Villanova coach Jay Wright turned to the 6-11 Sutton, who used his length an athleticism to hold the 6-7 Joseph to two field goals down the stretch. Sutton also chipped in with eight points, two rebounds, two blocked shots and hit 4 of 5 free throws. All eight points came in the second half.