Onuaku Powers Gritty Orange to 60-55 BIG EAST Road Win Against DePaul

Wednesday, January 30

Allstate Arena

8:30 p.m.

Syracuse University

DePaul

Junior center Arinze Onuaku mixed a game-best 22 points with nine rebounds in Syracuse's 60-55 road win against DePaul on Wednesday.

Onuaku Powers Gritty Orange to 60-55 BIG EAST Road Win Against DePaul

1/30/2008 11:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Boxscore

CHICAGO, Ill. – Junior center Arinze Onuaku paired a game-high 22 points with nine rebounds in charging Syracuse to a 60-55 victory against BIG EAST foe DePaul on Wednesday night at the AllState Arena. Hall of Fame head coach Jim Boeheim notched his 765^th career coaching win, surpassing legendary sideline general Henry Iba and matching Connecticut mentor Jim Calhoun for 10^th-place all-time.

DePaul struggled to find an answer for Onuaku in the middle as the junior center mixed a variety of back-to-the-basket moves with his patented feather-like right and left-hand jump-hook. The Syracuse offense ran through the big man on each of its opening possessions in the first and second half as he established an unmatched post-presence with identical soft turn-around lay-ins. Overall, Onuaku, ranked third nationally in field goal percentage entering tonight's contest, shot a precise 10-for-13 from the floor.

On several occasions in the second frame, Onuaku's size proved to be too much for the Blue Demons to handle. Down by two with 15 minutes remaining sophomore Paul Harris fed Onuaku in the middle for a thunderous two-hand slam. Minutes later, freshman forward Donte' Greene's dribble penetration drew two DePaul defenders, leaving Onuaku open for a catch and uncontested lay-in.

However, while Onuaku seemed to control the paint throughout the game's 40 minutes, the Blue Demons refused to go away without an effort. Karron Clarke's three-point basket with 10:43 remaining handed the hosts' a 45-42 lead. Less than three minutes following, Wesley Green sunk a seven-foot jumper that provided the Blue Demons with a one-point advantage, 49-48.

Harris' two free throws on the next possession regained a lead the Orange would never relinquish. Onuaku supplied SU a three-point edge with 6:14 left after turning a difficult catch in the paint into two points.

While the Orange's offensive story of the night begins and ends with Onuaku's command in the post, it was Harris who produced two of the game's most critical sequences in the waning moments. With Syracuse holding a one-point advantage, Harris took advantage of a mismatch on the low-block and deposited a turn-around lay-in with just 60 ticks remaining in the second half, pushing the Orange edge to three points.

On DePaul's ensuing possession, Harris corralled his eighth rebound of the night and was fouled before calmly sinking two free throws, supplying the visitors' a comfortable five-point lead. Greene nailed two charity tosses with six seconds remaining, icing the Orange's first road win in the BIG EAST this season.

Harris claimed one of his traditional blue-collar performances despite being hampered with an illness since Syracuse's 71-64 win against Providence on January 27. The sophomore workhorse collected 10 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished a team-high and career-best tying seven assists.

Greene collected 14 points, including a 5-for-6 display from the foul line, and secured five rebounds. Syracuse played more than five minutes in the second stanza with the BIG EAST's third-leading scorer relegated to the bench with four fouls.

Junior Kristof Ongenaet made his second-career start in as many outings. The 6-8 forward tallied six points and matched Onuaku with a squad-leading nine rebounds. It was Ongenaet's offensive rebound and mid-air putback with 3:01 remaining in the game that partially deflated a Blue Demon rally.

The Orange led by as many as four points in the first half after Harris uncorked a highlight-reel one-hand dunk. DePaul guard Will Walker responded with a three-point basket, then found a cutting Dar Tucker along the baseline for a dunk that handed the Blue Demons a three-point lead.

However, the hosts would go scoreless for six-plus minutes before the intermission. A dunk from Onuaku ignited a 14-6 run for the Orange. Syracuse regained its first lead since the score read 16-15 after Greene punctuated the scoring spurt with an emphatic two-hand flush off one bounce in the lane.

Syracuse (15-7, 5-4) remains on the road and heads to the City of Brotherly Love for a BIG EAST battle with Villanova on Saturday, February 2 at noon in the Wachovia Center. The Orange will look to avenge an 81-71 loss at the hands of the Wildcats at the Carrier Dome on January 19. SU fans can catch the Orange and Villanova on ESPN.