Brandon Triche and James Southerland combined for 37 points in the final home game of their careers, and No. 17 Syracuse beat DePaul 78-57 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game losing streak.
Syracuse (23-7, 11-6 Big East) broke a rare two-game losing streak in the Carrier Dome. No. 5 Georgetown started it 11 days ago with a 57-46 win that stopped the Orange's 38-game winning streak, the longest in the nation at the time.
Cleveland Melvin had 15 points and eight rebounds for DePaul (11-19, 2-15), which lost its fifth straight and moved into a tie for last in the conference with South Florida.
The Orange's only remaining regular season game is at Georgetown on Saturday.
Villanova 67, No. 5 Georgetown 57: JayVaughn Pinkston scored 20 points to help Villanova beat a top-five team for the third time this season.
The Wildcats (19-12, 10-8 Big East) also beat then-No. 5 Louisville and then-No. 3 Syracuse and have put themselves in solid shape for at least an NCAA tournament at-large bid. All three wins over top-five teams came at the Wells Fargo Center, the site of tournament games the first weekend.
Otto Porter Jr. scored 17 points as the Hoyas (23-5, 13-4) had an 11-game winning streak snapped. The Big East leaders lost for the first time since Jan. 19, against South Florida.
Villanova students stormed the court in the first two wins and security lined the baseline again Wednesday. With students on break, only a few fans made the dash. That gave the Wildcats the chance to head behind the basket and salute the fans.
Iowa St. 87, No. 13 Oklahoma St. 76: Senior Will Clyburn scored 20 points, and Iowa State beat Oklahoma State to bolster its NCAA tournament hopes.
Georges Niang added 18 points for the Cyclones (20-10, 10-7 Big 12), who notched just their second victory over a ranked opponent.
Oklahoma State trailed by as many as 15 points, but Marcus Smart's reverse dunk made it 70-68 with 4:28 left. Clyburn answered with a 3 and Tyrus McGee's 3 a minute later put the Cyclones ahead 78-68.
Smart was brilliant for Oklahoma State (22-7, 12-5), scoring 24 points with eight rebounds and five steals. But it wasn't enough as the Cowboys lost for just the second time in 12 games.
Women
No. 16 Delaware 86, Georgia State 58: Elena Delle Donne scored 24 points, Danielle Parker reached 1,000 career rebounds, and Delaware scored the first 16 points to defeat Georgia State.
Parker, playing in her school record 138th game, had 12 rebounds, and Lauren Carra scored 15 points for the Blue Hens (26-3, 17-0 Colonial Athletic Association), who set a school record with their 22nd consecutive victory, surpassing a mark set last season.
The Blue Hens' last loss was 69-53 to Maryland on Dec. 20.
Kendra Long scored 14 points and Cody Paulk had 12 for the Panthers (13-16, 5-13), who have lost three straight and five of six. It was Georgia State's final home game this season and their last in the CAA.
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