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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -- Nothing brings a smile to the face of Etan Thomas quicker than a blocked shot, and the Syracuse center was
grinning an awful lot Monday night.
Thomas, who missed the first two games of the season with a
staph infection, returned to the lineup with a vengeance, scoring
24 points and matching his school record of nine blocks as the Orangemen (No. 13 ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, No. 14 AP) defeated Florida Atlantic 105-79.
"I didn't know what to expect," said Thomas, who is one block
away from tying the school career record of 327 held by former
center Roosevelt Bouie. "I just wanted to play the best that I
could. That's all I wanted to do, and they did a good job of
finding me."
Syracuse, which began the season with convincing victories over
Princeton and Wisconsin in the NABC Classic, easily defeated the
overmatched Owls. Florida Atlantic (0-1) fielded a starting lineup
with only one player, senior guard Ryan Hercek, with Division I
experience.
The Orangemen scored 100 points for the first time since beating
Winthrop 106-51 in the 1996-97 season-opener, and the way they did
it impressed coach Jim Boeheim.
"The best thing about tonight was our unselfishness -- 38
baskets and 32 assists," Boeheim said.
Thomas clogged the lane and blocked four shots in the opening
four minutes as Syracuse scored the first 11 points of the game.
The Owls, with four junior college transfers and three freshmen
on their roster, were sluggish at the outset and missed their first
10 shots. But they refused to fold right away.
After DeShaun Williams and Preston Shumpert hit consecutive
3-pointers to key a 10-point surge in 61 seconds, part of a 25-2
Syracuse run, the Owls found their long-range touch and rallied
with a 21-4 surge.
A trio of 3-pointers by Hercek and two by Motiejus Reimeris
moved the Owls to 40-30 with 6:01 left.
"We were a little bit tight at first, and that's expected,"
Owls coach Sidney Green said. "But they were able to rally. I was
very proud of their effort, and that's all we can ask for.
"We don't have an Etan Thomas on our team yet, but we will get
him one day," Green said. "They played well, they executed well,
and that's why they're nationally ranked. We're trying to get where
Syracuse is at right now, and we will."
After Syracuse's starting five returned, the Owls managed just
two baskets the remainder of the first half and trailed 53-34
heading into the second.
Seven points by Damone Brown, who finished with 17 points and
eight rebounds, and consecutive baskets by Thomas put Syracuse up
73-45 with just more than 13 minutes left in the game and the Owls
were finished.
Tony Lee led the Owls with 17 points, Hercek had 16, Darius
Skeete 14, Marques Williams 13, and Reimeris 12.
Jason Hart had 15 points and Kueth Duany 13 for Syracuse.
Thomas logged 25 minutes altogether, and he felt it.
"I was a little winded at times," said Thomas, who moved past
Rony Seikaly and Derrick Coleman on the career blocks list. "My
energy level isn't quite where it should be. But I'll finish off my
antibiotics. I have a week until we play Colgate, and it should be
all right."
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Florida Atlantic Clubhouse
Syracuse Clubhouse
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