National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Syracuse 99, Boston U 77
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 10, 2016
Where: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York
Officials: # Jerry Heater, # Sean Hull, # Tim Kelly
Attendance: 22878

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse freshman forward Taurean Thompson played so well Saturday, he got a promotion during the game.

Thompson, who played a total of 12 minutes in the Orange's previous two games, started the second half after coming off the bench in the first half and notched team highs with 22 points and seven rebounds as Syracuse thumped Boston University, 99-77, before 22,878 fans at the Carrier Dome.

Thompson made 10 of 13 shots as Syracuse (6-3) snapped out of a four-game offensive funk by shooting 51.6 percent from the floor and 42.4 percent from beyond the arc.

John Gillon scored a team-high 23 points for the Orange on 6-for-7 shooting from 3-point range, while Andrew White added points and point guards Frank Howard and Gillon combined for 15 assists and only two turnovers.

Cedric Hankins led the Terriers (4-6) with a career-high 34 points on 10-for-20 shooting -- all from 3-point range. Eric Fanning added 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds for Patriot League-member Boston University, which has lost five consecutive road games to start a season for the first time since 2009.

The 6-foot-10 Thompson, a highly-rated recruit from Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, scored 10 of Syracuse's points in a 16-0 run early in the second half that gave the Orange a 64-44 lead.

The Orange, an Atlantic Coast Conference member, continued to add to the lead as White scored eight points in an 11-3 spurt that increased Syracuse's advantage to 76-51.

Hankins connected on back-to-back 3-pointers early in the first half as Boston University built a 20-12 advantage. With Gillon leading the way, Syracuse outscored the Terriers 27-11 over the next 10 minutes to take a 39-31 lead.

Gillon scored 14 of the Orange's 27 points during that run, and he and Thompson combined for 26 points and nine rebounds in the first half.

Syracuse averaged 59.3 points per game in its previous four games after averaging 86.3 in its first four. The Orange lost three of their previous four games to 19th-ranked South Carolina, 17th-ranked Wisconsin and Connecticut.
Top Game Performances
 
Boston U   Syracuse
Cedric Hankerson 34 Scoring John Gillon 23
Kyle Foreman 6 Assists Frank Howard 11
Eric Fanning 9 Rebounds Taurean Thompson 7
Eric Fanning 5 Free Throws Made Frank Howard 6
Destin Barnes 2 Steals Andrew White III 4
N/A Blocks Paschal Chukwu 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Boston U 77 36.2 16-41 11-16 20 37 0 4 18
Syracuse 99 51.6 14-32 19-28 24 34 8 13 9