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Syracuse cruises past Eastern Michigan

Dec 31, 2013 - 11:13 PM Syracuse, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Freshman Tyler Ennis was dominant once again for unbeaten Syracuse without scoring a point as the second-ranked Orange routed Eastern Michigan 70-48 from Carrier Dome.

Ennis shot 0-for-4 from the floor but dished out a game-high nine assists with five rebounds and three steals as Syracuse (13-0) finished its non-conference slate without a loss. The Orange have won 51 straight home games against non- conference foes.

Jerami Grant and Rakeem Christmas netted 15 points apiece while C.J. Fair added 13 for Syracuse.

Glenn Bryant led all scorers with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting for Eastern Michigan (7-5), which has lost three in a row to the Orange after winning the first meeting between the two schools in 1996.

Syracuse assisted on 13 of 15 baskets in the first half. It led by as many as 20 points in the latter stages after Tyler Roberson's free throws provided a 30-10 edge, but EMU kept fighting and scored the final four of the period for a 36-27 halftime margin.

Ray Lee hit a 3-pointer on EMU's first touch of the second half, prompting Syracuse to use a full court press, which the Eagles easily beat on a Bryant alley-oop and a five-point deficit just over two minutes in.

Trevor Cooney then found space with a pump fake and knocked down a trey to cap a 7-0 spurt and push the Orange lead to 44-32. Minutes later, Ennis lobbed a pass towards the rim for Baye Moussa Keita, who finished a layup, and Fair scored on consecutive possessions as the Orange opened up a 13- point spread -- 50-37, with 13:27 to play.

The onslaught continued as the second half went on. Syracuse eventually blew the game open late thanks to a triple by B.J. Johnson which accounted for a 23-point spread, and coasted until the final buzzer.

Game Notes

Syracuse opens its first season in the ACC when it hosts Miami on Jan. 4 ... Cooney scored 10 points ... Lee had 12 points for EMU ... Syracuse made just 3-of-14 from behind the arc, while the Eagles shot 7-of-28 from 3-point range ... The Orange won the rebounding margin 39-30.