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No. 5 Syracuse beats Morgan State by 42

Dec 21, 2010 - 4:18 AM Syracuse, NY (Sports Network) - Rick Jackson scored 18 points to go with nine rebounds and four assists, and No. 5 Syracuse had little trouble dismantling Morgan State, 97-55, to stay undefeated on the young season.

James Southerland also had 18 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting effort for the Orange (12-0), who pulled out a surprisingly tight 83-77 win over Iona on Saturday.

Fab Melo and Scoop Jardine both posted nine points in the rout.

"Everybody looked for each other. They were not selfish and we moved the ball," Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said of his team's 34 assists on 39 baskets. "Our offense is getting better but we have a lot of work to do."

Kevin Thompson had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Justin Black netted 14 points for the Bears (4-5), who had a two-game winning streak snapped.

Midway through the first half, Syracuse extended a 22-16 lead with 12 straight points in three-minute span. Southerland hit a three-pointer early in the run, and Jackson scored three buckets inside, including a layup for a 34-16 advantage with 8:17 remaining.

The Orange were on top 44-29 at the intermission, and it was a double-digit contest the entire second stanza.

Thompson's layup with 13:19 to play cut Morgan State's deficit to 43-56, but Southerland drained a three and threw down a fastbreak dunk to highlight a 13-2 spurt that pushed the margin to 69-45, essentially putting the game away.

Game Notes

Syracuse is 12-0 for the eighth time under Boeheim...Southerland made four of the Orange's 12 three-pointers...DeWayne Jackson scored nine points on 4- of-12 shooting for the Bears, well below his team-leading average of 15.4 points per game coming in...Syracuse controlled the boards by a 47-28 margin.