Jim Boeheim keeps making history this season.
With No. 7 Syracuse (13-1, 1-0 Big East) defeating Rutgers (9-3, 0-1 Big East) 78-53 Wednesday night at the Carrier Dome, Boeheim [11] sits only behind current Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski on the all-time Div. 1 wins list. Boeheim, who was tied with Bobby Knight, won game number 903 to take sole possession of second place.
Tuesday's victory also make the first game of Big East play for the Orange, and the continuation of longest, active home-court winning streak at 33 games.
Senior guard Brandon Triche [12] played well, scoring a season-high 25 points, which also lead all scorers. Triche added 6 assists, 4 steals, and shot over 70 percent from the field (8-of-11) and from behind the arc (5-7).
The two teams traded baskets for the first eight minutes of the half, as neither team gained an advantage of more than 6 points. With 8:18 left in the half, the Scarlet Knights took its first lead of the game at 20-18. It was at this point that the Orange re-took control of the game, going on an impressive 21-0 run that lasted until the end of the half. With senior forward James Southerland [13] scoring 7 points and junior forward C.J. Fair [14] scoring 6, the Orange went into halftime leading the Scarlet Knights 39-20.
From there, it was all Orange. Syracuse dominated the second half, going up by as many as 29 after two Triche free throws with 10:48 remaining in the game. When all was said and done, the Orange concluded their last Big East season opener with a defeaning victory over Rutgers.
