Last year, the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team set New York ablaze with their Big East Tournament run on their way to the NCAA Championship. On Thursday afternoon, the Syracuse Orange were looking to end the Huskies fortunes in NYC.

Syracuse's Dion Waiters hangs on the rim after slamming the ball during the quarterfinal round of the Big East NCAA college basketball conference tournament against Connecticut in New York, Thursday, March 8, 2012.When UConn went cold late in the second half, the Orange used an 8-0 run to take control as they held on for a 58-55 win over the Huskies in front of a packed house at Madison Square Garden on Thursday afternoon.

The Huskies (20-13) now wait until Sunday night to find out where they’ll go in the NCAA Tournament (yes folks, they are in). Syracuse (31-1) awaits the winner of Georgetown/Cincinnati in the semifinals.

Shabazz Napier led the way for the Huskies with 15 points. Andre Drummond added a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds while Jeremy Lamb was held to 10 points. Tyler Olander had a nice game off the bench with four points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Dion Waters paced the Orange with 18 points while both Kris Joseph and James Southerland both chipped in with 10 points.

Here are the highlights:

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UConn Huskies vs Syracuse Orange 2012 Big East Tournament Quarterfinals box score

UConn Huskies postgame quotes (Jim Calhoun, Shabazz Napier)

Syracuse Orange postgame quotes (Jim Boeheim, Kris Joseph, James Southerland)

Postgame notes

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Photo credit: AP Photo