Syracuse home win streak hits 27
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - It didn't take C.J. Fair long to know he was in for a good game.
Syracuse's slick forward made two free throws in the first minute against Long Beach State on Thursday, then tipped in his first basket less than a minute later as the fourth-ranked Orange started fast and beat the 49ers, 84-53.
Fair had 16 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, and Michael Carter-Williams supplied 15 points and 10 assists for Syracuse (7-0). The Orange extended their home winning streak to 27 games, the longest in the nation, and won their 49th consecutive regular-season nonconference game.
"The way I shot (my foul shots) early, I felt it was going to be a nice little day for me," Fair said. "After that, I got a couple of easy baskets to get me going."
Carter-Williams, the Orange's 6-foot-6-inch point guard, had his third double-double of the season. Rakeem Christmas and Trevor Cooney each had a career-high 11 points.
Dan Jennings scored a career-high 20 points to lead Long Beach State (3-5). The 49ers, coached by Dan Monson, beat two ranked teams last year (Pittsburgh and Xavier), but are 0-for-3 this season, also losing to North Carolina and Arizona.
AROUND THE NATION
TOP 25
• BEARCATS CLIMB TO 8-0 - At Cincinnati, the No. 11 Bearcats set a school record with 23 steals, and Sean Kilpatrick scored 10 of his 18 points in the second half as Cincinnati (8-0) gained an 87-53 win over Arkansas-Little Rock (7-4).
• McDERMOTT FUELS CREIGHTON - At Lincoln, Neb., Doug McDermott scored 27 points, leading No. 16 Creighton (8-1) to a 64-42 victory over Nebraska (6-2), the Bluejays' first win in Lincoln since 2004. The home team had won the previous seven games in the series, which spans 46 meetings.
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
• TAPLEY'S 3-POINTERS LIFT AZTECS - At San Diego, Chase Tapley made 6 of 8 3-point attempts and scored 23 points, sparking No. 17 San Diego State (7-1) to its seventh straight win, 84-70 over UC Santa Barbara (3-5). Jamaal Franklin added 14 points for the Aztecs, who made 11 of 17 3s. UCSB's Kyle Boswell made 7 of 10 3s and scored a career-high 23 points.
• FRESNO PULLS AWAY - At Fresno, Calif., Allen Huddleston had 13 points, making three 3-pointers, and Fresno State (5-3) used a 45-22 second-half margin to gain an 84-49 win over San Diego Christian (3-3). The Bulldogs' 18 steals were their most since 1999.
