Kyle Kuric went 5 of 7 from 3-point range and finished with 23 points as No. 15 Louisville held off a late charge by No. 13 Syracuse en route to a 73-69 home victory on Saturday.

Preston Knowles went 7 of 12 from long range to finish with 22 points and added four assists and five steals for the Cardinals (19-6, 8-4 Big East), who moved into a tie for third place in the Big East, 2 ½ games behind Pittsburgh. The first-place Panthers play at Villanova Saturday night.

Brandon Triche scored 21 points for the Orange (20-6, 7-6), who have dropped two straight and six of eight.

Louisville hit nine 3-pointers in the first half and ended the period on a 21-4 burst to take a 40-30 lead at the break. Knowles hit three 3-pointers during the surge, including a 30-footer at the buzzer.

The Cardinals came out of the locker room and continued their surge, opening with an 11-2 run to push it to 51-32. The lead would reach as much as 57-37 after back-to-back 3-pointers by Knowles and Kuric, and it was still a 15-point edge with 8:41 on the clock.

That’s when the Orange began to chip away, going on a 14-2 run to cut it down to 69-66 with 1:39 to play. But Chris Smith knocked down a pair of free throws with 28 seconds left to seal it for Louisville.