SYRACUSE -- St. John's coach Norm Roberts is at least happy about one thing - he only has to deal with Syracuse center Arinze Onuaku once this season.
The Associated Press
Syracuse's Arinze Onuaku, right, celebrates with Donte Greene after Greene dunked against St. John's during the second half of a game in Syracuse.
Syracuse's Arinze Onuaku, right, celebrates with Donte Greene after Greene dunked against St. John's during the second half of a game in Syracuse.
The 6-foot-9, 258-pound Onuaku scored a career-high 23 points and pulled down 12 rebounds Wednesday night, leading Syracuse past St. John's 76-70 in the Big East opener for both teams.
“He's a beast,” Roberts said. “He's an NBA player.”
Syracuse needed somebody to step up after freshman forward Donte Greene was called for his fourth foul and went to the bench at 16:24 of the second half after scoring 19 points.
Onuaku responded with a strong effort just as he has all season. After Anthony Mason Jr. hit a 3-pointer to move the Red Storm within 58-55 at 8:17, Onuaku hit a hook, a follow and a left-handed scoop off the glass to boost the Orange lead back to 68-61 with 4:50 remaining.
“Coach just kept saying, they can't stop me, get the ball in the post,” said Onuaku, who is shooting 68.3 percent (82-for-120) and averaging 14.3 points per game. “I was just trying to catch the ball and make good moves around the basket. Donte going out, I kind of felt like I had to take over.”
Two free throws by Jonny Flynn, a layup by Onuaku, who was 11-for-15 from the floor, and a dunk by Greene off an alley-oop pass from freshman guard Scoop Jardine made it 72-61 with 3:08 remaining.
“He (Onuaku) is a great player, he's extremely strong,” said freshman forward Justin Burrell,who had a season-high 21 points and also pulled down 12 rebounds to lead St. John's. “He really knows how to use his shoulders and wide body to get position, and Syracuse did a great job of getting him the ball.”
Greene staked Syracuse to a big early lead, but the Orange were unable to put St. John's away until Onuaku took charge in the the closing minutes.
“We needed to make a big shot,” Roberts said. “We got close to making them, but we didn't.”
The Red Storm, hurt by four fouls against Mason, simply ran out of time after Larry Wright drained a 3 to put St. John's within 73-68 with 40 seconds left.
“It was very frustrating being on the bench in the second half,” said Mason, who picked up his third and fourth fouls in the first two minutes of the second half and had to sit for 10 minutes. “We just didn't get the stops when it counted. If you want to win, you have to get the defensive stops.”
It was the fifth straight victory for Syracuse (11-3) and the third loss in four games for St. John's (6-6).
Flynn had 14 points and seven assists and Paul Harris had eight points and seven assists for the Orange, who shot 47.4 percent (27-for-57) and held St. John's to 38.7 percent (24-for-62). Jardine, in his fourth start in place of the injured Eric Devendorf, had seven points, four assists and four steals.
The first half featured a big run by each team. Greene, who missed the first 3-pointer he tried, swished his next four and also added a pair of baseline jumpers to key the Orange attack. Greene's 3 from the right corner and a follow by Onuaku completed a 14-0 Syracuse surge that gave the Orange a 19-6 lead at 14:21.
Undaunted, St. John's stormed back with a 14-4 spurt. Burrell, who had 14 points in the period, converted a follow slam after a miss by Malik Boothe to move the Red Storm within 28-24 at 6:34.
Just over a minute later, Greene's attempt at a one-handed slam dunk bounced high in the air off the back of the rim and Burrell grabbed the rebound and fed Boothe for a fast-break layup to move St. John's within 30-28.
Two mid-range jumpers by Harris, a 3 by Greene, and Flynn's 3-pointer from the left side at the buzzer gave Syracuse a 41-34 halftime lead.
AP-ES-01-02-08 2312EST
Junior's streak lights up court
By Ryan Day / The Citizen
SYRACUSE - A.O. might as well stand for Always On because Arinze Onuaku doesn't take a night off.
SU's junior center, who is affectionately referred to as A.O. by both players and coaches, has transformed into an interior force.
And he may just be getting started.
Onuaku had the best game of his career Wednesday night, scoring a career-high 23 points and hauling in 12 rebounds,as Syracuse won its Big East opener, 76-70 against St. John's at the Carrier Dome.
It was Onuaku's fourth career double-double and his 12th double-figure scoring game of the season.
The numbers are made even more impressive by that fact that Onuaku missed his entire sophomore season with a knee injury.
He played limited minutes his freshman campaign and was known as just a rebounder and defender.
But in just 14 games, Onuaku has solidified himself as a nimble big man with a soft touch around the rim.
Even newcomers on the team have noticed A.O.'s drastic development.
#&He has already improved a lot,from what I've seen,“ freshman Donte Greene said. ”His leadership is great and his presence is awesome. He has always had post moves but he never had a chance to show them. Now he does and he is letting people know he can play.“
For Onuaku,the formula was simple.
“Coach (Jim Boeheim) kept calling my number so I've got to make him proud,” the soft-spoken Onuaku said.
And most of his 11 field goals came during the game's most crucial moments. Syracuse owned a 46-37 lead when Greene,who was leading the Orange with 19 points, picked up his fourth foul with 16:24 left in the second half.
With Greene on the bench, Syracuse has limited options from the perimeter.
That's when the Orange pounded it inside.
Onuaku converted two quick buckets inside and scored 10 of the Orange's 15 points with Greene on the pine.
It was his performance during that 10-minute period that kept Syracuse in the game.
“I think he knows where he's good,” Boeheim said. “He knows he's good down on the block and guys are doing a good job of finding him down there. He's real good around the basket. Plus, he can use both hands,which is a tremendous asset - not many guys can do that.”
And not many big guys have,especially at Syracuse.
The last five starting centers at SU have been Darryl Watkins, Jeremy McNeil, Craig Forth, Billy Celuck and Etan Thomas.
Of the group,Thomas and Watkins were the only ones to make the leap to the NBA but neither was polished offensively. And all five struggled to coach the ball on the post.
But not A.O.
Onuaku not only can use both hands to finish,he catches every pass that comes his way - an invaluable trait for a 6-9,258-pound center that welcomes physical play.
“A.O. is an animal,” SU freshman guard Scoop Jardine said. “He's patient on the block - he doesn't miss much.”
So when he catches fire like he did against St. John's, Syracuse knows to keep feeding the big fella.
“Coach kept telling them to get me the ball down low because I wasn't being stopped,” Onuaku said. “So I just kept going at it.”
Onuaku's biggest test of the season so far should come Saturday as the Orange welcome South Florida and their star, Kentrell Gransberry, to the Carrier Dome.
At 6-9, 270 pounds ,Gransberry will be one of the few centers who can match up physically with Onuaku. The Bulls' senior center is averaging 14.8 points and 11 rebounds per contest,while Onuaku is currently putting up a similar 13.7 points and 7.5 boards per game.
It may not be Patrick Ewing versus Derrick Coleman, but one thing is for sure - there will definitely be some bumping and bruising under the basket.
“Coach told us before the game started that this is the same basketball,just a lot more physical,” Onuaku said. “I am a physical player so I just went for it.”
“He's a beast,” Roberts said. “He's an NBA player.”
Syracuse needed somebody to step up after freshman forward Donte Greene was called for his fourth foul and went to the bench at 16:24 of the second half after scoring 19 points.
Onuaku responded with a strong effort just as he has all season. After Anthony Mason Jr. hit a 3-pointer to move the Red Storm within 58-55 at 8:17, Onuaku hit a hook, a follow and a left-handed scoop off the glass to boost the Orange lead back to 68-61 with 4:50 remaining.
“Coach just kept saying, they can't stop me, get the ball in the post,” said Onuaku, who is shooting 68.3 percent (82-for-120) and averaging 14.3 points per game. “I was just trying to catch the ball and make good moves around the basket. Donte going out, I kind of felt like I had to take over.”
Two free throws by Jonny Flynn, a layup by Onuaku, who was 11-for-15 from the floor, and a dunk by Greene off an alley-oop pass from freshman guard Scoop Jardine made it 72-61 with 3:08 remaining.
“He (Onuaku) is a great player, he's extremely strong,” said freshman forward Justin Burrell,who had a season-high 21 points and also pulled down 12 rebounds to lead St. John's. “He really knows how to use his shoulders and wide body to get position, and Syracuse did a great job of getting him the ball.”
Greene staked Syracuse to a big early lead, but the Orange were unable to put St. John's away until Onuaku took charge in the the closing minutes.
“We needed to make a big shot,” Roberts said. “We got close to making them, but we didn't.”
The Red Storm, hurt by four fouls against Mason, simply ran out of time after Larry Wright drained a 3 to put St. John's within 73-68 with 40 seconds left.
“It was very frustrating being on the bench in the second half,” said Mason, who picked up his third and fourth fouls in the first two minutes of the second half and had to sit for 10 minutes. “We just didn't get the stops when it counted. If you want to win, you have to get the defensive stops.”
It was the fifth straight victory for Syracuse (11-3) and the third loss in four games for St. John's (6-6).
Flynn had 14 points and seven assists and Paul Harris had eight points and seven assists for the Orange, who shot 47.4 percent (27-for-57) and held St. John's to 38.7 percent (24-for-62). Jardine, in his fourth start in place of the injured Eric Devendorf, had seven points, four assists and four steals.
The first half featured a big run by each team. Greene, who missed the first 3-pointer he tried, swished his next four and also added a pair of baseline jumpers to key the Orange attack. Greene's 3 from the right corner and a follow by Onuaku completed a 14-0 Syracuse surge that gave the Orange a 19-6 lead at 14:21.
Undaunted, St. John's stormed back with a 14-4 spurt. Burrell, who had 14 points in the period, converted a follow slam after a miss by Malik Boothe to move the Red Storm within 28-24 at 6:34.
Just over a minute later, Greene's attempt at a one-handed slam dunk bounced high in the air off the back of the rim and Burrell grabbed the rebound and fed Boothe for a fast-break layup to move St. John's within 30-28.
Two mid-range jumpers by Harris, a 3 by Greene, and Flynn's 3-pointer from the left side at the buzzer gave Syracuse a 41-34 halftime lead.
AP-ES-01-02-08 2312EST
Junior's streak lights up court
By Ryan Day / The Citizen
SYRACUSE - A.O. might as well stand for Always On because Arinze Onuaku doesn't take a night off.
SU's junior center, who is affectionately referred to as A.O. by both players and coaches, has transformed into an interior force.
And he may just be getting started.
Onuaku had the best game of his career Wednesday night, scoring a career-high 23 points and hauling in 12 rebounds,as Syracuse won its Big East opener, 76-70 against St. John's at the Carrier Dome.
It was Onuaku's fourth career double-double and his 12th double-figure scoring game of the season.
The numbers are made even more impressive by that fact that Onuaku missed his entire sophomore season with a knee injury.
He played limited minutes his freshman campaign and was known as just a rebounder and defender.
But in just 14 games, Onuaku has solidified himself as a nimble big man with a soft touch around the rim.
Even newcomers on the team have noticed A.O.'s drastic development.
#&He has already improved a lot,from what I've seen,“ freshman Donte Greene said. ”His leadership is great and his presence is awesome. He has always had post moves but he never had a chance to show them. Now he does and he is letting people know he can play.“
For Onuaku,the formula was simple.
“Coach (Jim Boeheim) kept calling my number so I've got to make him proud,” the soft-spoken Onuaku said.
And most of his 11 field goals came during the game's most crucial moments. Syracuse owned a 46-37 lead when Greene,who was leading the Orange with 19 points, picked up his fourth foul with 16:24 left in the second half.
With Greene on the bench, Syracuse has limited options from the perimeter.
That's when the Orange pounded it inside.
Onuaku converted two quick buckets inside and scored 10 of the Orange's 15 points with Greene on the pine.
It was his performance during that 10-minute period that kept Syracuse in the game.
“I think he knows where he's good,” Boeheim said. “He knows he's good down on the block and guys are doing a good job of finding him down there. He's real good around the basket. Plus, he can use both hands,which is a tremendous asset - not many guys can do that.”
And not many big guys have,especially at Syracuse.
The last five starting centers at SU have been Darryl Watkins, Jeremy McNeil, Craig Forth, Billy Celuck and Etan Thomas.
Of the group,Thomas and Watkins were the only ones to make the leap to the NBA but neither was polished offensively. And all five struggled to coach the ball on the post.
But not A.O.
Onuaku not only can use both hands to finish,he catches every pass that comes his way - an invaluable trait for a 6-9,258-pound center that welcomes physical play.
“A.O. is an animal,” SU freshman guard Scoop Jardine said. “He's patient on the block - he doesn't miss much.”
So when he catches fire like he did against St. John's, Syracuse knows to keep feeding the big fella.
“Coach kept telling them to get me the ball down low because I wasn't being stopped,” Onuaku said. “So I just kept going at it.”
Onuaku's biggest test of the season so far should come Saturday as the Orange welcome South Florida and their star, Kentrell Gransberry, to the Carrier Dome.
At 6-9, 270 pounds ,Gransberry will be one of the few centers who can match up physically with Onuaku. The Bulls' senior center is averaging 14.8 points and 11 rebounds per contest,while Onuaku is currently putting up a similar 13.7 points and 7.5 boards per game.
It may not be Patrick Ewing versus Derrick Coleman, but one thing is for sure - there will definitely be some bumping and bruising under the basket.
“Coach told us before the game started that this is the same basketball,just a lot more physical,” Onuaku said. “I am a physical player so I just went for it.”
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