#11 Syracuse Stops DePaul

Andy Rautins scored 17 points and Paul Harris added 14 to lead six Syracuse players in double figures in the No. 11 Orange's 85-68 win over DePaul on Wednesday night.

It was the sixth straight victory for Syracuse (15-1, 3-0 Big East) and the third consecutive loss for DePaul (8-8, 0-3).

Dar Tucker led the Blue Demons with 18 points, Will Walker had 13, Mac Koshwal 12, and Devin Hill 10.

Arinze Onuaku had 14 points and 12 rebounds, Eric Devendorf finished with 13 points, Jonny Flynn had 12, and Rick Jackson 11 for the Orange. Rautins hit five 3-pointers to give him 25 over the past four games.

Syracuse used an early 12-2 run to open a double-digit lead and the Blue Demons struggled with costly turnovers and never recovered.

Syracuse hit eight 3-pointers, outrebounded DePaul 48-39 and outscored the Blue Demons 50-34 in the paint. Koshwal, a 59.1 percent shooter, struggled with his inside game against the burly Onuaku and Jackson, shooting 4-for-14.

After the Orange converted three free throws to begin the run, Kris Joseph had a steal and fed ahead to Flynn, who then hit Jackson with a pretty behind-the-back, no-look pass for a resounding dunk.

Rautins followed with a long 3-pointer from the top of the key, and Devendorf hit a nifty left-handed hook while crossing through the lane to put the Orange up 20-10 at 11:07.

Flynn's three-point play boosted the margin to 29-17 with 7:46 to go, but Koshwal's bank shot, a follow by Hill and a three-point play by Mario Stula had the Blue Demons back within 31-24 at 6:40.

The Orange outscored DePaul 16-7 to close the half and gain a commanding 47-31 lead at the break. Harris and Flynn each had five points in the surge and Rautins finished it with a steal and layup.

The Orange scored 15 points off DePaul's 10 turnovers in the period, and Walker's banked-in 3-pointer from the top of the key with 28 seconds left was the only DePaul basket over the final 3:47.

Syracuse did its best to give the Blue Demons a shot, committing four consecutive turnovers - one each by Flynn, Devendorf, Rautins and Onuaku - to start the second half. But DePaul could only muster a layup by Tucker.

Harris, who missed Friday's game at South Florida with a bad cut on his right ring finger, celebrated his return to the lineup with nine rebounds and four blocks. His layup with 14:16 to go gave him 1,000 career points.

Box Score