Virginia 59 - Syracuse 47: Orange Crushed In Home Finale

The Virginia Cavaliers topped the Syracuse Orange, 59-47, at the Carrier Dome on Monday, spoiling Rakeem Christmas's senior night and clinching the ACC regular season title.

Syracuse (18-12, 9-8 ACC) got out to a fast start and led by as many as 11 points in the first half. But Virginia (28-1, 16-1 ACC) ended the half on a 21-7 run, opening up a 23-20 halftime lead, and never looked back. The Cavaliers then outscored the Orange, 36-27, in the game's final 20 minutes.

Trevor Cooney led SU with 14 points, while Christmas and Tyler Roberson added 10 points apiece. Michael Gbinije scored just eight points on 2-of-11 shooting. Kaleb Joseph sat out the entire first half and didn't enter the game until the 6:45 mark of the second half.

For Virginia, Anthony Gill scored a team-high 17 points. Malcolm Brogdon, London Perrantes, and Mike Tobey each had 10 points. The Cavaliers also grabbed 41 rebounds, or 20 more than the Orange.

With the loss, Syracuse will fail to reach 20 wins in a season for the first time since the 1996-97 season. The postseason ineligible Orange will close their season Saturday, when they travel to Raleigh, NC for a date with the North Carolina State Wolfpack. Tipoff from PNC Arena is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. ET.