Big East Sports Blog

Big East teams have been flexing their muscles over the weekend.  With Notre Dame, Marquette, Georgetown and Louisville all winning their games by at least 27 points, it was time for the Orange to join the blowout party.

Syracuse got a season high 18 points from Scoop Jardine and Paul Harris filled the stat sheet, getting 19 points,  15 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals to help the Orange smother Northeaster 95-74 on Sunday night.  Syracuse only led 44-42 at the break, as the Huskies used 53.6 percent shooting to make things interesting in the first half.  But Syracuse turned up the defense in the second half, holding Northeastern to only 10 field goals and 27 percent shooting.  It is the fourth straight win for the Orange, who improve to 10-3. 

Syracuse worked much harder defensively in the second half compared to the first, and they got after Northeastern from the opening moments in the second half.  Jardine and Harris, along with Donte Greene, who scored 17 points, led a blistering 22-5 run to spark the rout for the Orange and the Huskies never got back in it.

Matt Janning led Northeastern and all scores with 26 points and Chaisson Allen added 19 points.  The loss drops Northeastern to 4-7 on the year.  Manny Adako, the Huskies leading scorer at 11.1 points per game, only scored 2 points in 19 minutes.  Adako was hampered by constant foul trouble.  He picked up three fouls in the first half, and he was virtually nonexistent in the second half, drawing his fourth foul minutes into the second half.

The Orange had six players in all score in double figures.  Jonny Flynn scored 13 points and Arinze Onuaku chipped in with 12 points.  Syracuse shot 56.9 percent from the field in the contest. 

Syracuse gets their first taste of Big East action on Wednesday, Jan. 2nd when they welcome St. John’s into the Carrier Dome.  Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

Freshman Jonny Flynn scored 21 points and dished out five assists and the inside game for Syracuse overwhelmed Cornell, as the Orange cruise to victory 80-64 on Saturday night.

Flynn led five players in double figures for the Orange.  Arinze Onuaku added 18 points and Donte Greene chipped in with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.  Paul Harris filled the stat sheet tonight, dropping in 10 points, pulling down seven boards and dishing out five assists.  The win marks the 30th straight victory for Syracuse over Cornell.

There was little doubt tonight that Syracuse would endure a scare, or a trap game.  The Orange put this one on ice at halftime, leading 49-30, holding the Big Red to just 36 percent shooting.

Cornell’s leading scorer Ryan Wittman was handcuffed and harrassed all night by the Orange defense.  Wittman came into the contest averaging 15 points per game, had a night to forget.  Wittman shot 2-for-14 from the field, 2-for-8 from beyond the arc and finished with only six points, a season low.  Louis Dale and Collin Robinson picked up the slack for Cornell, scoring 15 and 14 points each.

Syracuse ate Cornell alive in the paint, 34-10 and pounded the Big Red on the glass, out-rebounding Cornell 52-37.  The win runs Syracuse’s record to 9-3 and the Orange have now won three straight and five of their last six.  They’ll be idle until Dec. 30th when they’ll welcome Northeastern into the Carrier Dome.

Freshman sensation Donte Greene netted a season-high 26 points,  Arinze Onuaku added a double-double, with 17 points and 12 boards, as the Orange cruised past the Raiders 87-59 on Tuesday night.  Syracuse improves their record to 8-3 and have now won four of their last five games

Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris also were in double figures for Syracuse, scoring 12 and 13 points respectively.  The Orange shot 54 percent from the field, while their defense limited Colgate to only 37 percent shooting.

Syracuse built up a cozy 15-point lead going into the break up 40-25, essentially putting this one away in the first half. The victory marks the 42nd consecutive win Syracuse has notched against Colgate.  With the loss, Colgate falls to 6-4.

Freshman Mike Venezia led Colgate in scoring with 11 points, and Kyle Roemer and Kendall Chones each added 10 points.  The Raiders entered Tuesday night shooting 45.8 percent from three-point range, but came up stone cold from downtown against the Orange, shooting only 29 percent on 5-of-17 three-point attempts.

This was the first game of the season Syracuse played without junior guard Eric Devendorf.  Devendorf suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in last Saturday night’s 125-75 demolishing of East Tennessee State.  Devendorf will miss the rest of the season for the Orange.  Freshman Antonio Jardine started in place of Devendorf tonight, scoring four points and dishing out five assists.

Syracuse will host Cornell on Saturday, Dec. 22nd at 7 p.m.