Men's Basketball Treats Orange Fans to 77-56 Win in Exhibition Opener

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse University men's basketball team welcomed back the Orange faithful to a 77-56 victory against the Cal State-Los Angeles Golden Eagles in the Carrier Dome Monday night. Junior Arinze Onuaku and sophomore Jonny Flynn led the Orange with 13 points apiece.

Onuaku went 6-for-6 from the field and added eight boards and three blocks for the Orange. Flynn, a preseason All-BIG EAST selection, went 5-for-10 from the field and 2-for-3 from outside the confines of the arc, including the opening score of the second half exciting the crowd of 10,257 ready and waiting on its feet.

The Orange had a narrow 34-30 lead at the half, but outscored the Golden Eagles 43-26 in the second half and never let the lead change hands. Onuaku's second dunk of the game at the 16:25 mark of the second half gave Syracuse the momentum it needed to put the game away.

After senior Kristof Ongenaet won the opening tipoff, the Orange jumped out to a 6-2 lead forcing Golden Eagle head coach and SU All-Century team member Stephen Thompson to take an early timeout. CSU-LA would fight back to a 14-12 advantage by the 10:30 mark, but not before racking up seven team fouls. A three-pointer by junior Andy Rautins would turn the game in favor of the Orange, 15-14, at the midpoint timeout.

The Orange continued to control the first half courtesy of three pointers from freshman Mookie Jones, junior Eric Devendorf and Flynn. With 4:25 left in the half, Onuaku slammed home a dunk bringing to life the Dome crowd and keeping the Orange lead alive, 29-26. Onuaku grabbed the rebound in Golden Eagle territory on the next play and Harris followed it up with a three.

Syracuse led by four at the half shooting 45 percent from the field and 50 percent outside the arc. The Orange did even better in the second half of play shooting 53 percent from inside the arc. Sophomore Rick Jackson helped keep CSU-LA contained for most of the game. He recorded 12 rebounds and had a team-leading four blocks on the night.

The Orange welcomes Indiana Pa. to the Dome on Sunday, Nov. 9 for its second and final exhibition match. Action is slated to start at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Time Warner Sports 26. Fans can purchase tickets at SUathletics.com, over the phone at 888-DOMETIX or in person at the Carrier Dome Ticket Office during normal business hours.