Syracuse University
Northeastern
Second Half Surge Powers Orange Against Northeastern, 95-74
12/30/2007 3:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Box Score
Coach Boeheim Quotes
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Sophomore forward Paul Harris totaled a season-high 19 points and matched a career best with 15 rebounds for his 14th-career double-double as the Orange surged passed Northeastern, 95-74, on Sunday in front of 20,633 fans at the Carrier Dome. An explosive Syracuse offense boasted a 56.9% shooting percentage en route to scoring six players in double figures for the third time this season.
Freshman combo guard Scoop Jardine, making his third-career start, sliced and diced his way to a collegiate-best 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting, while dishing four assists. Jardine matched his career-high point total with eight points in the first half.
After a late Syracuse basket provided the Orange with a 44-42 halftime advantage, the Orange used an 8-0 run out of the gates in the second frame en route to a 52-44 lead. Over the first ten minutes, Syracuse's 25-11 run propelled the hosts to a commanding 69-53 cushion. Harris and Jardine contributed a combined 13 points during the decisive run.
Syracuse ended its non-conference slate with its fourth straight triumph after outscoring the Huskies 51-32 in the second half. The Orange's largest lead of the afternoon grew to 22 points following a three-point basket from freshman forward Donte' Greene.
Greene, entering Sunday's contest ranked second in the BIG EAST with an 18.8 points per game scoring average, worked his way through a face-guard full-denial defense from Husky Eugene Spates on his way to 17 points, on 5-for-9 shooting overall and a 4-for-6 long-range display. Greene capped his offensive performance with a thunderous two-hand slam late in the second half.
Behind Harris, who also added a career-high seven assists, and junior center Arinze Onuaku's 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting, the Orange staked an early claim to the area around the basket. Syracuse wiped the glass clean, owning a 39-32 advantage on the window. The Orange overpowered its opponent in the lane for the 12th time this season, out-scoring the Huskies 54-28 in the paint.
While the last 20 minutes of play shined with an Orange hue, the Huskies traded offensive punches with SU in the first half. The opening frame featured 14 lead changes as the Huskies' attack was highlighted a deadly long-range arsenal led by sophomore Matt Janning. Janning powered the Northeastern offense with a game-high 26 points on 8-for-17 shooting.
After Chaisson Allen sunk two free throws with 38 ticks remaining before the intermission, freshman point guard Jonny Flynn utilized a high ball-screen before draining an off-balance fall-away go-ahead jumper as time expired. Flynn collected 13 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field, marking the fifth time this season the Orange posted all five scorers in double figures.
Junior forward Kristof Ongenaet provided a fresh spark off of 32nd-year Hall of Fame head coach Jim Boeheim's bench. Ongenaet posted a career-high 10 points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting while corralling five caroms.
With the win, Boeheim moved past Ed Diddle (Western Kentucky) and Jim Calhoun (Connecticut) into 11th-place on the all-time Division I victory list with 760.
SU connected on 25-of-38 (65.8 percent) free throws attempts, posting the second-most trips to the charity stripe this season. And for the 12th time in 13 tries, the Orange paced the Huskies with an 18-12 fast-break points advantage.
Syracuse (10-3) continues a season-long seven-game homestand and welcomes in-state foe St. John's to the Carrier Dome on Wednesday, January 2 at 7:00 p.m. for its BIG EAST Conference season-opener. The Orange and Red Storm will be televised regionally on ESPN (Time Warner 26).
