Syracuse University
Coppin State
Rautins' 29 Points Lead SU to 82-71 Triumph
12/22/2008 9:09:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Box Score
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – It was a record-breaking night for the #17/14 Orange as junior guard Andy Rautins nailed nine three-pointers for a Syracuse Carrier Dome record in an 82-71 victory against Coppin State. Rautins, who had a career-high 29 points, tied Gerry McNamara's single-game record for three-pointers in a game set in the 2004 NCAA Tournament game against BYU.
In front of 17,214 Syracuse fans, four Orange men joined Rautins in double-digit scoring. Junior Paul Harris was second on the team with 15 points and nine rebounds, while junior Arinze Onuaku added 12 points and a team-leading 10 rebounds. It was his third double-double of the season and 13 of his career. Sophomores Jonny Flynn and Rick Jackson added 10 points apiece with Flynn also recording 10 assists.
The Orange started off the game on an 8-2 run after Rautins opened the game with a three-pointer. Flynn added another on SU's next possession and Onuaku followed it up with a layup. Syracuse built its lead up to 10 points, 21-11, by the 12:49 mark courtesy of six points from Jackson.
Coppin State fought back to within two points, 28-26, with a little over six minutes before the break thanks to a 15-7 scoring run. However, the Orange answered back with nine-straight points, including back-to-back threes from Rautins to give SU a 37-26 advantage.
The Eagles again challenged Syracuse coming within five points with 2:51 until the break. Flynn added two free throws and Harris followed it up with five-straight points, including a buzzer-beating dunk after rebounding the ball off a missed Rautins shot. Fouled in the process, he nailed a charity bucket to send the Orange to the locker room with a 46-34 halftime lead.
Syracuse made 16-of-32 (50 percent) shots from the field and was 6-of-15 from beyond the arc. Rautins led the Orange with 17 first half points after going 5-for-9 from the three-point range and adding two free throws.
The Eagles opened up the second half with a trifecta from Tywain McKee, but neither team was able to establish a strong scoring run until Coppin State's Lenny Young recorded two free throws to bring the Eagles within four points of taking control of the lead. A Harris layup and another Rautins trey sparked a 19-4 SU run giving the Orange an 80-63 lead with less than three to play in the game. As the clock ran down, Coppin State added eight more points to SU's two to close out the game.
The Orange held the Eagles to only 36.1 percent (26-of-72) shooting, despite McKee posting a game-high 31 points. He also pulled down a team-high nine boards. Other top scorers for Coppin State included Jordan Lee with 12 points and Young with 10.
Syracuse shot 54.5 percent (30-of-55) for the game, including outscoring the Eagles 40-18 in the paint and 21-14 in fastbreak situations. However, the Eagles outscored the Orange 26-6 from the bench.
In just the third meeting between the two clubs with SU leading the series, 3-0, head coach Jim Boeheim coached his 1,062nd game as head coach and ranks tied for 15th on the Division I Games Coached list.
Syracuse is back in action on Tuesday, December 30 when it hosts conference foe Seton Hall in a 7 p.m. matchup in the Carrier Dome. Tickets can be purchased online at SUathletics.com, by phone at 1-800-DomeTix or in person at the Carrier Dome box office during regular business hours.
