Syracuse University
Rutgers University
Rautins Keys SU to 81-65 Win at Rutgers
1/13/2010 10:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Box Score
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Andy Rautins notched a season-best 23 points to lead 5/5 Syracuse (16-1, 3-1) to an 81-65 victory against Rutgers (9-7, 0-4) at the Louis Brown Athletic Center on Wednesday night. The senior guard also set a career-best with eight rebounds and matched his career-high with nine assists.
Rautins led eight different players who scored for the Orange, including five in double-figures. The Jamesville native led all scorers.
Guards Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche each added 12 points, while splitting time directing the Syracuse offense. Jardine dished out six helpers while Triche matched two assists with a pair of steals.
Junior Wes Johnson contributed 11 points and reached a career milestone as he scored his 1,000 collegiate point. A transfer from Iowa State, Johnson scored 716 points before joining the Orange. Johnson grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds and finished with his sixth double-double in the last eight games.
Redshirt freshman Mookie Jones rounded out the double-digit scorers for SU, tallying 11 points. Jones also had four boards and a pair of steals.
Senior Arinze Onauku finished with eight points and six rebounds.
Rutgers opened the scoring with a three before Rautins and Triche combined for a quick eight to give the Orange an 8-3 lead it would never relinquish.
Ahead, 25-18, Syracuse broke the game open with an 11-0 run, holding the Scarlet Knights scoreless for more than three minutes during the stretch. Johnson sparked the run with a turnaround jumper from the wing while Jones had five points in the stretch. The scoring spurt gave SU a 36-18 lead with 1:22 remaining before it closed out the half with a 41-23 edge.
The hosts came on strong out of intermission as Mike Rosario came alive with 13 points in a 19-5 run to cut the deficit to eight, 53-45, with 12:28 left to play. Syracuse responded with a quick 7-0 rally, including five points from the charity stripe by Rautins and Jardine, to re-establish its lead, 60-45, with 10:30 remaining in regulation.
Syracuse continued to drive, scoring six unanswered points to build its lead, 73-58, before closing out the 81-65 victory.
On-point free throw shooting helped the Orange maintain its lead, as it shot 78.9 percent from the charity stripe in the second half.
Rosario led the Scarlet Knights with 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting, including four trifectas. Dane Miller and Mike Coburn rounded out the double-digit scorers for the hosts with 15 and 10 points, respectively, while Hamady Ndiaye controlled the boards with a game-best 12 rebounds.
The Orange continues its three-game road swing when it visits 6/6 West Virginia on Saturday, January 16 at noon.
