National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Syracuse 80, Tulane 61
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 22, 2011
Where: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York
Officials: #0 Sean Corbin, # Brent Hampton, # Mike Stuart
Attendance: 18679

No. 1 Syracuse will enter Big East play with an unblemished record after cruising past Tulane, 80-61, Thursday night at the Carrier Dome.

It still may be a while until anyone outperforms the balanced offense of Syracuse (13-0, 0-0 Big East), which shot 51 percent against the nation’s third-best defense. Brandon Triche and James Southerland both connected on a pair of 3-pointers during a 19-0 run that closed the final six minutes of the first half. The backcourt mates combined for 19 points as the Orange won their fourth straight game by double digits.

While Syracuse looked completely relaxed with a 10-man rotation on the offensive end, it amped up the intensity and confused Tulane (11-2, 0-0 Conference USA) with its 2-3 zone. Forward Josh Thomas entered the game averaging a double-double but went 0-for-9 from the floor. The Green Wave opened the season with nine straight wins and their best start since 1991-92 but have now dropped two of their last four – both on the road. They have one more tune-up before opening conference play on Jan. 4.

Tulane shouldn’t feel too bad, though, not many have been able to answer Syracuse’s offensive surges. Kris Joseph scored 13 points and got to the free-throw line a season-high eight times, knocking down seven. The senior swingman’s penetration created open looks from the perimeter where the Orange were 10 of 21.

Top Game Performances
 
Tulane   Syracuse
Kendall Timmons 16 Scoring Dion Waiters 15
Jordan Callahan 2 Assists Michael Carter-Williams 3
Kendall Timmons 8 Rebounds Rakeem Christmas 5
Ricky Tarrant 7 Free Throws Made Kris Joseph 7
Kendall Timmons 2 Steals Dion Waiters 2
Trevante Drye 1 Blocks James Southerland 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Tulane 61 34.0 7-16 20-30 8 29 3 3 11
Syracuse 80 51.0 10-21 18-22 16 28 11 7 7