Syracuse rolls in Tourney opener

MIAMI -- Exactly five years after its last NCAA tournament win, Syracuse took a dominant route back to the second round. Jonny Flynn scored 16 points, Rick Jackson and Arinze Onuaku each added 12 and the third-seeded Orange cruised past NCAA first-timer Stephen F. Austin 59-44 Friday in a South regional matchup. Syracuse (27-9) ran out to a 20-4 lead, never letting the Southland Conference champions get anything going. Benson Akpan led Stephen F. Austin (24-8) with 12 points, with Nick Shaw adding 10. The Lumberjacks missed 12 of their first 13 shots, and didnt connect from 3-point range until Walt Harris hit from the left wing with 11:25 remaining - on their 16th try from beyond the arc. They finished 2-for-21 from 3-point range, and that played perfectly into Syracuses hands. By the end, the only drama remaining was if Syracuse would turn in its best defensive showing in NCAA history. In 80 games, Syracuses all-time low for NCAA points allowed was 43 against Princeton in 1992 - and Jereal Scott made sure it stayed that way, hitting two free throws for the Lumberjacks with 12.9 seconds left to close the scoring.