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Amid distractions, Syracuse goes for ninth straight win

Dec 13, 2008 - 11:29 AM Long Beach State (4-3) at No. 16 Syracuse (8-0), 12:00 p.m. EST

SYRACUSE, New York (Ticker) -- Everything seemed to be going Syracuse's way. Now, it must deal with adversity.

With guard Eric Devendorf immersed in allegations, the 16th-ranked Orange host Long Beach State on Saturday.

The junior guard was suspended for the rest of the academic year on Wednesday for violating the university's Student Code of Conduct. Devendorf had the suspension levied against him for allegedly hitting a girl in the face in a November 1 incident.

The third-leading scorer for the Orange, Devendorf will appeal the decision, allowing him to remain a student-athlete until the appeals process is completed.

Devendorf is third on the team in scoring at 14.1 points per game. Jonny Flynn leads Syracuse at 19.5 points per game and Paul Harris is averaging 14.8 and 8.9 rebounds.

Syracuse has not played since an 88-78 victory over Cornell on December 3. The Orange were down 25-9 just over eight minutes into the contest.

Long Beach State suffered its second straight loss on Thursday, dropping a 72-63 decision to Weber State. T.J. Robinson had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the 49ers, who had won four straight games before the losing streak.