Syracuse Beats Gonzaga; Advances to Sweet 16

Sunday, March 21

12:10 p.m.

Syracuse University

Gonzaga University

Junior forward Wes Johnson had a career-high 31 to lead all scorers against Gonzaga

3/21/2010 2:18:40 PM | Men's Basketball

Syracuse 87, Gonzaga 65 l Syracuse Press Conference Quotes

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Junior forwardWes Johnson paired a career-best 31 points with 14 rebounds to lead #4/4 Syracuse to an 87-65 victory against #22/18 Gonzaga in the NCAA Second Round on Sunday afternoon at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, N.Y. The Orange advances to the Sweet Sixteen for the 19^th time in program history.

Syracuse set a program NCAA record with 12 3-point baskets. Senior guard Andy Rautins led the way with five 3-pointers and finished with 24 points, four rebounds and four assists. Freshman guard Brandon Triche added 13 points.

SU also limited Gonzaga to a 14.3 percent from long range (3-21) and a 41.7 (25-60) shooting percentage from the floor.

Gonzaga attacked the inside of the SU zone early, scoring 10 points in the paint in the opening four minutes. Johnson netted a pair of threes in the opening minute and a half to keep the Orange within striking distance as the Bulldogs took an early 10-6 edge .

Trailing, 13-10, Johnson and redshirt sophomore guard #Scoop Jardine# combined for a 7-0 run to give Syracuse its first lead, 15-13, with 13:12 remaining in the first half. Johnson brought the Orange faithful to their feet with a one-handed dunk before Jardine capped the run with a trifecta.

Rautins connected from beyond the arc, opening up a five-point lead, 22-17, before Elias Harris used back-to-back inside scores to pull the Bulldogs within one, 22-21, with 10:15 left in the half.

Syracuse countered with nine unanswered points, quieting Gonzaga for more than four minutes in the stretch. Triche propelled the run with five points while Johnson and sophomore forward Kris Joseph each had a pair.

The Bulldogs fought back, outscoring the Orange, 7-1 through the next two minutes to make it 32-28 with 3:59 to play in the half.

The Orange took control in the final four minutes, outscoring the Bulldogs, 15-4, through the end of the first half to head into the break with a 47-32 advantage.

Rautins paced SU to a strong start out of the intermission as it opened the second half with a 13-2 scoring spurt, which built the lead, 60-34, with 16:20 remaining in regulation. The senior co-captain had 12 points in the stretch, including a pair of trifectas.

Syracuse furthered its advantage, outscoring Gonzaga, 13-5, through the next five minutes, and taking its largest lead of the game on a Joseph free throw with 11:56 left on the clock. Johnson had eight points to power the run.

Gonzaga used a 12-3 run to cut the deficit, 76-53, with 6:49 remaining, but couldn't come close to the Orange as it cruised to an 87-65 victory.

Scoop Jardine had nine points and a trio of assists while Jackson helped Syracuse to a 36-27 advantage on the boards with nine rebounds. Joseph contributed seven rebounds and three assists.

Syracuse faces Butler on Thursday, March 25 in Salt Lake City, Utah.