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Syracuse University
St. Bonaventure University
Second-Half Surge Puts #5/5 Syracuse Past St. Bonaventure, 85-72
12/19/2009 8:04:30 PM | Men's Basketball
Box Score | Coach Boeheim Quotes | Student-Athlete Quotes
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - #5/5 Syracuse (11-0) used a second-half surge to defeat St. Bonaventure, 85-72, and remain perfect on the season on Saturday night. The Orange won in front of a season-high, Carrier-Dome crowd of 20,578.
Junior forward Rick Jackson led eight different players who scored for the Orange, including four in double digits. Jackson had a game-best 18 points and 10 rebounds, three blocked shots and a trio of steals.
The Orange controlled the inside, holding a 52-34 advantage in points in the paint while leading 25-13 in second-chance buckets.
Junior forward Wes Johnson matched 17 points with 10 boards and dished out a pair of assists. Sophomore forward Kris Joseph posted a career-best 17 points on 7-of-9 while collecting seven rebounds and a pair of helpers.
Senior guard Andy Rautins and redshirt sophomore guard Scoop Jardine each dished out five assists. Rautins rounded out the double-figure scorers for Syracuse, tallying 11 points, while Jardine had eight points.
Syracuse came on strong out of the locker room following the intermission, opening the second half on a 14-4 run. The Orange defense held the Bonnies scoreless for three minutes during the stretch. Triche propelled the run with back-to-back three's while Jackson and Johnson each contributed a pair of buckets.
The two teams battled back and forth through the first half, tying the score on six occasions. Knotted at eight, the Orange used a 10-3 scoring run to take an 18-11 lead, its largest of the half, with 12:52 remaining.
St. Bonaventure battled back, as Chris Matthews netted back-to-back three's to tie the game, 28-28, with 6:43 remaining. The Bonnies continued to drive, taking a 35-32 lead, but the Orange closed out the half on a 7-0 run to take a 39-35 lead at the break.
The Orange continued to keep the Bonnies at bay, maintaining a lead of at least nine-points through the majority of the second half. SU increased the separation with another 14-5 swing to take a 77-59 advantage with 5:20 left to play. Rautins sparked the run with two-straight trifecta's while Joseph had a pair of field goals in the run.
Andrew Nicholson led St. Bonaventure with 18 points.
Syracuse hosts its final non-conference opponent before BIG EAST play on Tuesday, December 22 when it entertains Oakland at 7:00 p.m.
