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Syracuse University
Le Moyne (exhibition)
Johnson Nets 34 in 82-79 Exhibition Loss to LeMoyne
11/3/2009 8:02:29 PM | Men's Basketball
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse completed its brief exhibition slate with a narrow, 82-79, loss to cross-town foe LeMoyne on Tuesday night in the Carrier Dome. Junior forward Wesley Johnson led all scorers with 34 points.
With the Orange trailing, 78-76, with less than a minute to play, Johnson knocked down a three from the corner to give Syracuse a 79-78 lead with 16.9 seconds remaining. LeMoyne's Christopher Johnson answered with a trifecta and Can Ozkaner tacked on a pair of free throw to seal the last-second victory, 82-79.
Senior guard Andy Rautins was second on the team in scoring, pairing 13 points with four assists. Junior forward Rick Jackson had 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting, corralled a team-best eight boards and blocked a pair of shots.
The Orange out-rebounding the Dolphins, 44-34, due in part to the performances of senior center Arinze Onuaku and sophomore forward Kris Joseph, who grabbed eight boards each. Onuaku tallied three points and had a pair of blocked shots for the Orange while Joseph netted eight points.
Junior guard Scoop Jardine directed the Syracuse offense with a game-best seven assists while rookie Brandon Triche dished out three assists and chipped in nine points.
The two teams traded points through the beginning second half, with SU maintaining its lead until an 18-6 LeMoyne run evened the game, 55-55, with 8:42 on the clock. The Dolphins built on their momentum, taking a 73-67 lead with 2:58 remaining in the game.
Johnson single-handedly assembled a six-point run, netting three-straight field goals to give the Orange a 15-6 advantage with 12:41 remaining in the first half. LeMoyne countered with a six-point run to cut the deficit, 15-12, but back-to-back threes by Rautins reasserted the SU lead, 21-14.
The Dolphins used a 15-3 run to battle back, taking a 27-24 lead with 5:32 remaining in the first half. Syracuse regained its momentum toward the end of the half, outscoring LeMoyne, 13-4, to head into the locker room with a 37-32 lead.
Johnson led LeMoyne with 22 points, including six three's while Laurence Ekperigin had 20 on 6-of-12 shooting.
The Orange tips off the regular season on Monday, Nov. 9 against Albany in the opening game of the 2K Sports Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. It could be a historic night at the Carrier Dome as Orange head coach Jim Boeheim attempts to become the eighth Division I coach in NCAA history to win 800 games. Boeheim currently has 799 career victories in his 33 seasons with the Orange.
