For the second consecutive possession, Andy Rautins stood right of the key beyond the three-point line, and lofted a one-handed prayer toward the basket.

And for the second straight time, a streaking Wes Johnson escaped his defender, darted his way across the baseline and caught the ball in mid-air, sealing another mammoth alley-oop.

Even at that point – just six minutes into the game – the points were extraneous, the game was well in hand. But at the same time, with the Colgate offense writhing and the Orange en route to a 92-58 victory, the back-to-back jams proved a point – Syracuse can be a first-half team.

For what seemed like the first time all year, the Orange was able to get out on top of its opponent early and often. Normally thought of as a team that uses second-half adjustments to secure an edge, SU lashed out to a 29-point lead at halftime thanks to an abnormally assertive first-half attack.

Johnson kick-started the barrage with a pair of 3-pointers from the exact same spot just left of the key. When his defender failed to stretch out and put a hand up the second time, Johnson simply drilled another, giving SU a 6-0 lead it would not relinquish all game.

Johnson, who finished with a team-high 19 points, then turned things over to Rautins at the other end of the 3-point arc to add insult to injury.

By the time the Raiders were able to catch its breath, a listless Colgate offense was unable to recover – Syracuse’s second-string players were in as early as seven minutes into the game and kept the pace throughout a tenacious first half.

The second half was more of the same, with the Orange receiving a bevy of playing time from deep inside its bench.

ctorr@syr.edu

Published on November 30, 2009 at 12:00 pm