Note to our readers:The winter weather that struck much of Central New York on Wednesday caused flight cancellations from Syracuse Hancock International Airport, including the scheduled flight of a Daily Orange men’s basketball beat writer. The Daily Orange continues its pledge of providing exclusive, objective and original coverage of Syracuse athletics.

Jim Boeheim said Sunday he knew Demetris Nichols wouldn’t score 37 points every game for Syracuse. So when the Big East’s leading scorer was held scoreless in the first half, the Orange needed someone to step up.

Enter Darryl Watkins and Andy Rautins.

Watkins and Rautins combined for 32 points while Nichols finished with only eight points in Syracuse’s 70-53 victory over South Florida in front of 6,292 at the Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla.

It may not have been pretty, but the win snapped a four-game road losing streak for the Orange (18-8, 7-5). SU used a 17-4 run midway through the second half to turn a three-point lead into a double-digit advantage.

The Orange needed a strong second half after a mediocre first 20 minutes in which SU led by one at the break, 32-31. SU shot 11-of-33 from the field in the first half and looked disorganized on offense. It scored three points in the game’s first five minutes.

‘We didn’t shoot very well in the first half,’ Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said in his postgame press conference, obtained via e-mail from a Syracuse official. ‘We defended pretty well second half. We were a little more patient. We got it inside, we got it outside.’

The 17-point margin of victory was SU’s largest since Dec. 22, 2006 – a 25-point win over Hofstra at the Carrier Dome.

Nichols was tightly guarded by Bulls forward McHugh Mattis, who did not allow Nichols to create shots for himself, much like he did Sunday against the Red Storm when he set a career-high in points with 37 on 14-of-24 shooting.

The senior missed all four shots he attempted in the first half and was held to single digits for only the third time this season. His two made field goals were his least in a game since Wichita State on Dec. 2, 2006.

While Nichols was the main reason why Syracuse kept its NCAA Tournament hopes alive on Sunday, his teammates carried the load on offense Wednesday.

Watkins’ 17 points were one shy of a career-high set earlier in the year against St. Bonaventure. He scored 12 in the second half alone.

‘They were so spread out defensively we were able to get it in to Mookie,’ Boeheim said. ‘He really was very active tonight and that was the difference.’

USF center Kentrell Gransberry scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the first have and limited Watkins to only five first-half points. But Gransberry fell into foul trouble in the second half and also took a shot to the face which required a trip to the locker room with 13:05 left in the game. That’s when SU pulled away, led by Watkins – and Rautins.

The sophomore sharpshooter notched double-digit points for the third time in four games and for the second-straight contest was accurate from beyond the arc. He shot 5-for-8 from 3-point range and all of his attempted field goals came from behind the 3-point line.

‘(Andy) hit a couple of big shots in the first half when we needed them,’ Boeheim said.

Eric Devendorf added 13 points, but on an inefficient 4-of-12 from the field.

South Florida (12-14, 3-9) shot a measly 38 percent, which Boeheim credited to Syracuse’s improved defense.

‘We did a better job on the boards, defensively, in our zone,’ Boeheim said.

Syracuse out-rebounded USF, 37-33, and 15-14 on the offensive glass, but the Orange took advantage of its second-chance opportunities, outscoring South Florida, 15-7.

SU finished the game on an 18-5 run, thoroughly impressing the head coach.

Said Boeheim: ‘I just thought we worked the ball better in the last 10 minutes than we have all year.’

Published on February 14, 2007 at 12:00 pm