No. 16 Syracuse 78, DePaul 57: James Southerland collected 22 points and a career-high 10 rebounds and C.J. Fair added 16 points and seven boards as the host Orange snapped their three-game skid.
Brandon Triche chipped in 15 points and Michael Carter-Williams scored 10 for Syracuse (23-7, 11-6 Big East), which avoided its first four-game losing streak since Jan. 17-29, 2011. The Orange have won seven straight against DePaul dating to 2006.
Cleveland Melvin scored 15 points and Brandon Young added 12 for the Blue Demons (11-19, 2-15), who have lost five straight and 14 of 15. DePaul has lost 43 consecutive games against ranked opponents.
DePaul led by as many as six early on before Syracuse closed the half on a 15-2 run for a 35-26 lead at the break. Fair scored seven points during the stretch, including a 3-pointer to cap a 15-0 spurt, before Donnavan Kirk's dunk pulled the Blue Demons back within single digits going into halftime.
The Blue Demons got within six early in the second half, but Rakeem Christmas' dunk set off an 8-0 run for Syracuse and the lead didn't dip below nine the rest of the way.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Young had six assists to become the sixth player in school history to surpass 400 in his career. … Syracuse has won 39 of its past 41 games at the Carrier Dome. The Orange won 38 straight at home before losing their last two. … DePaul went 5-for-18 from 3-point range and has made at least one 3 in 609 consecutive games dating to Feb. 16, 1993.
DePaul | Syracuse | |
Cleveland Melvin 15 | Scoring | James Southerland 22 |
Brandon Young 6 | Assists | Michael Carter-Williams 5 |
Cleveland Melvin 8 | Rebounds | James Southerland 10 |
Cleveland Melvin 3 | Free Throws Made | James Southerland 11 |
Brandon Young 2 | Steals | Michael Carter-Williams 4 |
Moses Morgan 2 | Blocks | Rakeem Christmas 5 |