Syracuse University
St. John's
Man in the Middle: Onuaku a Force in Orange’s 76-70 BIG EAST Win Against St. John’s
1/2/2008 9:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse (11-3, 1-0) ushered in the BIG EAST regular season with a 76-70 victory against St. John's (6-6, 0-1) in front of an electrifying crowd of 17,487 at the Carrier Dome on Wednesday. Junior center Arinze Onuaku recorded his fourth-career double-double with a career-high 23 points and 13 rebounds as the Orange celebrated its 2,500th game played all-time.
St. John's struggled to find an answer on the block to defend Onuaku's repertoire of inside post moves. The Lanham, Md. native mixed a soft touch with a relentless effort on the glass, posting his 12th double-figure performance of the season. Onuaku eclipsed career bests with an efficient 11 field goals made versus 15 field goals attempted.
Freshman forward Donte' Greene powered the Syracuse attack with a game-high 17 points on 6-for-12 shooting in the first half. However, at the 16:42 mark of the second frame, Greene was whistled for his fourth personal foul. The 6-11 forward spent more than nine minutes on the Orange sideline before finishing with 22 points.
As a result, Hall of Fame head coach Jim Boeheim relied upon the support of role players Rick Jackson and Scoop Jardine. Jackson provided quality minutes off the Orange bench and twice denied inside baskets from the Red Storm with emphatic rejections. Jardine's slashing penetration kept the St. John's defense on its heels. The rookie combo guard's dump pass to Onuaku at the 11:12 mark came at an opportune time, giving SU a 54-48 advantage.
Syracuse twice extended its lead to six and eight points down the stretch before Red Storm junior Anthony Mason Jr. drained two three-point baskets, keeping the visitors within upset distance. Mason Jr., averaging 14.8 points per game over the last four outings, was limited to 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting.
The Orange responded and found an answer with the man in the middle. The Syracuse offense ran right through the post where Onuaku converted back-to-back left-hand turn-around jump-hooks. The 6-9 center often found himself in the right place at the right time, twice turning loose rebounds in two points at critical junctures.
SU capped its fifth-straight win with a few fireworks from Jardine. With the Orange holding a 10-point advantage, Jardine found Greene on the other end of a lob for a highlight-reel two-hand flush. Minutes later, with STJ having clawed back to within six points, Jardine's steal at mid-court turned into a lay-in down the other end with 19 ticks remaining.
Freshman point guard Jonny Flynn struggled from the field, shooting just 3-for-10, but quietly muscled his way to 14 points, seven assists and three rebounds.
Sophomore Paul Harris, the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week following a 19-point 15-rebound effort against Northeastern, tallied eight points, dished seven assists (to tie his career-best effort) and grabbed four boards.
Syracuse's explosive offense hit a rhythmic stride early, taking advantage of a 14-0 run en route to a commanding 19-6 lead in the early stages of the contest. After St. John's forward Justin Burrell flushed home a two-hand dunk, the Syracuse offense found its rhythm and took a commanding 19-6 lead following a Greene putback. Greene twice found himself alone for two of his four first-half trifectas.
However, an Orange scoring drought that lasted more than five minutes allowed the Red Storm to linger and cut the hosts' cushion to just seven points at halftime. Burrell led all STJ scorers with 21 points while corralling 12 rebounds.
St. John's became just the third team this season to out-rebound the Orange, owning a 42-36 edge on the glass. But with what Syracuse lost on the window, the Orange made up for in the lane, besting the Red Storm 34-26 in points in the paint.
Syracuse (11-3, 1-0) continues a season-long seven-game homestand and the BIG EAST schedule on Saturday at the Carrier Dome against USF at 12:00 p.m. Orange fans can catch SU against the Bulls on ESPN Regional (Time Warner 26).
