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Syracuse tries to rebound from first loss

Dec 5, 2006 - 3:58 PM No. 24 Oklahoma St (9-0) vs. No. 21 Syracuse (7-1) 7:00 pm EST

NEW YORK (Ticker) - An inability to consistently get off to a stong start finally caught up with Syracuse.

The 21st-ranked Orange look to rebound from their first defeat of the season Tuesday when they face No. 24 Oklahoma State in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.

Despite winning their first seven games, Syracuse needed to rally from 15-point first-half deficits in recent victories over Canisius and Northeastern.

On Saturday, the Orange trailed by 23 points, then charged back to tie Wichita State before suffering a 64-61 home defeat.

Terrence Roberts scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the campaign. Freshman Paul Harris added 14 points and Darryl Watkins had 13 boards for Syracuse, who shot just 36 percent (22-of-61) from the floor.

Oklahoma State is led by senior Mario Boggan, the team's top scorer (20.1) and rebounder (7.1), who was named the Most Valuable Player of the South Padre Island Invitational. He is shooting 63 percent (67-of-106) this season.

Boggan scored 24 points with 13 rebounds and JamesOn Curry added 24 points for the Cowboys, who remained unbeaten with Saturday's 90-74 victory over Pepperdine.

Oklahoma State posted a 74-60 triumph over Syracuse in their last encounter at the Jimmy V Classic two years ago.