SYRACUSE -- Jonny Flynn and Andy Rautins each scored 15 points, Rick Jackson came off the bench to key a late rally, and Syracuse beat Virginia 73-70 on Friday night.
Syracuse (6-0) — fresh from winning the CBE Classic championship in Kansas City, Mo., by beating No. 17 Florida and No. 22 Kansas on consecutive nights — overcame a 13-point deficit for the second straight game.
Paul Harris and Arinze Onuaku combined for 49 of the Orange's 77 rebounds in the wins over Florida and Kansas and also contributed 32 points apiece. Against Virginia (3-2), Onuaku was held scoreless in the first half and went to the bench with his fourth foul at 12:02 of the second, after scoring only six points and with the Orange down by eight.
As soon as Jackson replaced Onuaku, Syracuse took off. First Eric Devendorf, then Rautins fed Jackson for resounding two-handed slam dunks to move Syracuse within 52-47 at 10:18.
Flynn followed with a reverse layup and, after both Sylven Landesberg and Sammy Zeglinski, the Cavaliers' leading scorers, picked up their fourth fouls, Rautins hit a pair of 3-pointers to put Syracuse up 58-56 at 7:54. The Orange never trailed again.
Devendorf finished with 14 points and four assists, Harris had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Jackson added five blocks.
Landesberg had 16 points, Zeglinski and Calvin Baker each had 14, and Mike Scott and Jerome Meyinsse each scored 10.
Syracuse trailed for all but the first two minutes of the opening half as the swarming Cavaliers had nine steals and forced 11 turnovers. The second half was a different story as Syracuse had only four turnovers and stepped up their aggressive man defense, holding the Cavaliers to 11-of-29 (37.9 percent) shooting.
Devendorf set up Harris for a slam dunk to give Syracuse a 66-60 lead with 3:36 remaining, but the Cavaliers refused to fold.
A layup by Landesberg had Virginia within 66-63 with 74 seconds left, but Flynn, Devendorf and Rautins combined to go 7-of-10 from the free throw line in the final minute. That was enough to offset two layups by Landesberg and a 3-pointer by Zeglinski in the closing seconds.
The Orange fell behind by as many as eight in the first half, and when Devendorf was intentionally fouled by Landesberg on a fast-break layup attempt, the Orange appeared set to make a charge.
But after Devendorf made both free throws to move Syracuse within 31-27 with 2:23 left, the Cavaliers scored nine straight points. Scott started the surge with a layup, Meyinsse had a two-handed slam dunk, and Baker finished it with a steal and fast-break layup before draining a 3 from right wing with 26 seconds left for a 40-27 lead.
Paul Harris and Arinze Onuaku combined for 49 of the Orange's 77 rebounds in the wins over Florida and Kansas and also contributed 32 points apiece. Against Virginia (3-2), Onuaku was held scoreless in the first half and went to the bench with his fourth foul at 12:02 of the second, after scoring only six points and with the Orange down by eight.
As soon as Jackson replaced Onuaku, Syracuse took off. First Eric Devendorf, then Rautins fed Jackson for resounding two-handed slam dunks to move Syracuse within 52-47 at 10:18.
Flynn followed with a reverse layup and, after both Sylven Landesberg and Sammy Zeglinski, the Cavaliers' leading scorers, picked up their fourth fouls, Rautins hit a pair of 3-pointers to put Syracuse up 58-56 at 7:54. The Orange never trailed again.
Devendorf finished with 14 points and four assists, Harris had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Jackson added five blocks.
Landesberg had 16 points, Zeglinski and Calvin Baker each had 14, and Mike Scott and Jerome Meyinsse each scored 10.
Syracuse trailed for all but the first two minutes of the opening half as the swarming Cavaliers had nine steals and forced 11 turnovers. The second half was a different story as Syracuse had only four turnovers and stepped up their aggressive man defense, holding the Cavaliers to 11-of-29 (37.9 percent) shooting.
Devendorf set up Harris for a slam dunk to give Syracuse a 66-60 lead with 3:36 remaining, but the Cavaliers refused to fold.
A layup by Landesberg had Virginia within 66-63 with 74 seconds left, but Flynn, Devendorf and Rautins combined to go 7-of-10 from the free throw line in the final minute. That was enough to offset two layups by Landesberg and a 3-pointer by Zeglinski in the closing seconds.
The Orange fell behind by as many as eight in the first half, and when Devendorf was intentionally fouled by Landesberg on a fast-break layup attempt, the Orange appeared set to make a charge.
But after Devendorf made both free throws to move Syracuse within 31-27 with 2:23 left, the Cavaliers scored nine straight points. Scott started the surge with a layup, Meyinsse had a two-handed slam dunk, and Baker finished it with a steal and fast-break layup before draining a 3 from right wing with 26 seconds left for a 40-27 lead.
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