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No. 12 Syracuse easily handles DePaul

Mar 6, 2011 - 2:21 AM Syracuse, NY (Sports Network) - Rick Jackson helped to make his last home game a memorable one, as he scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots to lead 12th-ranked Syracuse to a 107-59 demolition of DePaul at the Carrier Dome.

Scoop Jardine provided 14 points and eight assists while Dion Waiters added 12 points for the Orange (25-6, 12-6 Big East), who finished fourth in the league standings and locked up a double-bye in the upcoming Big East Tournament.

Kris Joseph supplied 11 points, five assists and four boards and Fab Melo chipped in with a season-high 10 points and added six caroms for the hosts, who concluded the regular season by winning their last five games.

"I think right now, we're playing our best basketball all year," Jackson said. "We've had our ups and downs but now we're back in the swing of things. Everybody did a great job tonight and that really shows us that we can be a great team. Teams can always get better, so we'll work to get better."

Tony Freeland led all scorers with 25 points while Moses Morgan contributed 16 off the bench for the Blue Demons (7-23, 1-17), who lost their last five games to close out the campaign.

Leading 11-6, Syracuse embarked on a 16-4 run to open up a 27-10 advantage with nine minutes remaining before the break.

The lead continued to grow and reached 32 before Syracuse took a 57-28 lead at the intermission. The Orange made 24-of-34 first half shots and finished the game shooting at a 71.4 clip (45-for-63), matching the third-highest mark in program history.

Syracuse didn't let up in the second half, extending the lead to as many as 51 late in the game.

The 48-point margin of victory is the largest in Big East history, surpassing a 45-point Louisville decision over DePaul on February 15, 2009.

Game Notes

Jackson made 7-of-10 from the floor while Jardine connected on 6-of-7 and Joseph made 5-of-8...Syracuse got 11 points from C.J. Fair, 10 from James Southerland and nine from Mookie Jones off the bench...The Orange hit 7-of-9 from long distance and 10-of-11 at the line...The 107 points and 45 field goals were season-bests for Syracuse, which last finished a season with a five-game win streak in 2003-04...DePaul shot 39 percent from the floor, including a miserable 3-for-19 showing from long distance.