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No. 5 Syracuse Cruises Past Rutgers
Piscataway, NJ (Sports Network) - Andy Rautins put together a complete effort, scoring 23 points and dishing out nine assists, as fifth-ranked Syracuse defeated Rutgers, 81-65, at Louis Brown Athletic Center.
Rautins also grabbed eight rebounds and recorded five steals for the Orange (16-1, 3-1 Big East), who opened a three-game road trip with a third straight win since losing at home to Pittsburgh on January 2.
Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine both finished with 12 points for Syracuse, while Wes Johnson contributed 11 points -- surpassing 1,000 for his career -- and pulled down 10 boards.
Mike Rosario had 17 points and five rebounds for the Scarlet Knights (9-7, 0-4), who have lost their last five games after winning six in a row. Dane Miller totaled 15 points but committed eight of Rutgers' 22 turnovers.
Rutgers hung around in the early stages, trimming its deficit to 10-8 on a Miller layup, but the Orange gradually began to pull away.
Syracuse reeled off 11 straight points late in the first half, capped by a Rick Jackson slam, and built a 41-23 lead at the break.
The Scarlet Knights pulled to within 53-45 with 12 1/2 minutes left in the second half, but Syracuse scored 10 of the game's next 13 points to go ahead, 63-48. Consecutive threes by Jonathan Mitchell and Mike Coburn for Rutgers whittled the deficit to single digits, 63-54, with about 8 1/2 minutes remaining.
Syracuse, though, maintained a comfortable distance, leading 76-60 after Mookie Jones knocked down a trey with just under two minutes showing on the clock.
The Orange hold a commanding 36-9 lead in the overall series with Rutgers...Jones had 11 points for Syracuse, which shot 47.5 percent from the floor while limiting Rutgers to 38.5 percent shooting...Coburn scored 10 points...Both clubs are in action on Saturday. Syracuse continues its road swing with a visit to West Virginia, while Rutgers travels to South Florida.
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