Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim earns 879th career win
New York, NY (Sports Network) - Fab Melo returned to the Syracuse lineup after a three-game absence and the sophomore center paid immediate dividends with 14 points, as the second-ranked Orange controlled the paint and rolled to a 95-70 victory over St. John's at Madison Square Garden.
Dion Waiters and C.J. Fair also scored 14 points for the Orange (23-1, 10-1 Big East), while Kris Joseph added 13. The comfortable victory gave Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim his 879th career win, tying him with the legendary Dean Smith for third on the all-time Division I list.
Melo was forced to sit for unspecified reasons, although it was believed to be an academic issue. The Orange were undefeated and the top-ranked team in the nation when the 7-footer first took a seat for the January 21 game at Notre Dame. Syracuse was dominated inside at South Bend and suffered its first loss.
The Orange followed the setback to the Irish with wins over Cincinnati and West Virginia, then had a week off before taking the floor at their home away from home in Manhattan. The Orange, playing in an always-friendly environment at Madison Square Garden with many alumni in attendance, fell behind early but quickly moved in front and went on to their seventh straight win over the Red Storm.
D'Angelo Harrison scored 23 points and Moe Harkless added 15 for St. John's (10-13, 4-7), which had won its last two Big East games. The Red Storm fell to 0-9 this season against ranked opponents.
