Orangemen Top Hoyas

Etan Thomas surpassed his career high in the first half, scoring 17 of his 23 points before the break, as No. 20 Syracuse routed Georgetown 84-66 Monday night.

Working against an undermanned Hoyas front court, sophomore center Thomas was 8 for 11 from the field and defied his 53 percent free-throw percentage by making 7 of 10 from the line as the Orangemen (16-4, 6-3 Big East) broke a two-game losing streak.

The loss snapped a two-game winning streak for Georgetown (11-7, 4-6), which is in danger of finishing with a losing record in Big East play for only the second time in the John Thompson era.

(11) Princeton 59, College of N.J. 50

At Princeton, N.J., playing their first game in 16 days due to an exam break, the rusty Tigers (14-1) got 16 points from Brian Earl in a victory over the Division III Lions (14-2).

Princeton (14-1) annually schedules a lower division opponent as a warm-up after its annual exam break. It was the first time the Tigers played nearby CNJ (14-2), which is ranked No. 5 in the Division III coaches’ poll.

(13) South Carolina 79, Furman 52

At Greenville, S.C., BJ McKie scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half, including three of South Carolina’s season-high 11 3-pointers, as the Gamecocks (14-3) ran past the Paladins (7-13).

South Carolina, in the midst of five games in 10 days, hit nine 3-pointers in the first half. The Gamecocks led 44-20 and went on to win for the sixth time in seven games.