SU Gets Valentine's Day Treat; Beats USF, 70-53

Wednesday, February 14

Tampa, FL

7:00 p.m.

Syracuse University

South Florida

Senior Darryl Watkins led the Orange with 17 points at USF.

2/14/2007 9:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

TAMPA, Fla. – The Orange men's basketball team (18-8, 7-5) snapped a three-game road losing streak with a 70-53 win against USF (12-14, 3-9) at the Sun Dome on Wednesday, Feb. 14. The Bulls held the BIG EAST's leading scorer Demetris Nichols to eight points, but SU proved it's more than a one-man band as senior center Darryl Watkins and sophomore guard Andy Rautins tallied 17 and 15 points, respectively, to lead the Orange past the Bulls.

Watkins' point total was one shy of his career high of 18 turned in against St. Bonaventure earlier this year. He was 6-of-11 from the floor and 5-for-8 from the free-throw line at USF. Twelve of his points came in the second half. All of Rautins' points came from beyond the arc. He hit five three's in the game, one off his personal best. Sophomore Eric Devendorf also finished in double figures with 13 points.

Watkins keyed a 17-4 second-half run that turned a 47-44 edge with 10 and a half minutes left into a 64-48 bulge with 4:14 left to go in the game. Watkins tallied the first five points in the scoring spree that capped the run with a free throw, effectively putting the game out of reach.

"They were so spread out defensively we were able to get it in to Mookie -- he really was very active tonight and that was the difference," Orange head coach Jim Boeheim said after the game.

The Orange defense also played an integral role during its game-clinching run, holding the Bulls to three field goals in the final 10 minutes of the game. The Bulls were 8-for-25 in the second half (32 percent) and their 22 points after intermission equaled the fewest for an SU opponent (Colgate) in the second half of a game this season.

The Orange struggled from the field in the first half, hitting 11-of-33 field goal attempts (33.3 percent), but made 12 of its 20 attempts (60 percent) in the second half, including four of its six 3-point attempts to charge into the lead.

The Bulls held Nichols without a point in the first period. He was 0-for-4 from the floor in the opening half and didn't score his first points until the 14:26 mark of the second frame. He finished the game with a pair of three's and two free throws. His two triples moved him past DeShaun Williams into sixth place on SU's all-time 3-point field goals chart (176). Nichols has hit at least one 3-pointer in each of his last 31 games.

With Nichols not getting many looks, Rautins and junior Josh Wright picked up the first-half scoring load. Rautins canned three 3-pointers in the first half and led SU at the break with nine points. Wright contributed six. Their efforts assisted the Orange in overcoming its cold shooting for a 32-31 lead at the intermission.

Syracuse mustered a 6-0 run capped by two free throws by freshman Paul Harris to claim its first advantage in the contest, 15-13, with 9:35 left in the first half. A Rautins triple pushed SU's margin to 21-17 at 6:58, but Kentrell Gransberry scored eight of USF's next nine points, and tied the game at 26-26 on a pair of charity shots. Devendorf chipped in four late first-half points to help stake SU to its one-point halftime edge.

The Orange won the battle of the boards, 37-33, including 15 offensive boards. It was more offensive rebounds than it has had in any of its last three games.

Gransberry finished with a double-double for USF with 17 points and 12 rebounds. The Bulls also got 17 points from Melvin Buckley, including four 3-pointers.

Syracuse returns home on Saturday, Feb. 17 to face Connecticut at 3:30 p.m. The game will be televised live on ABC.