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Final Score: Providence 68 - Syracuse 85

Syracuse, NY (Sports Network) - Kris Joseph and Arinze Onuaku highlighted Syracuse's dominant frontcourt with a combined 43 points and 14 rebounds, as the third-ranked Orange used a big second half to post an 85-68 victory over Providence at the Carrier Dome.

Syracuse (22-1, 9-1 Big East) secured the best start in school history by outscoring Providence 48-34 in the final 20 minutes for its ninth straight win since losing to Pittsburgh on January 2nd.

Joseph scored a career-high 23 points to go with seven rebounds, while Onuaku logged 20 and seven for the Orange, who shot an eye-popping 57.6 percent from the field. Brandon Triche netted 15 points in the rout.

Jamine Peterson had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Vincent Council added 16 points and nine assists for the Friars (12-10, 4-6), who have lost four of their last five contests.

Syracuse pounded the ball inside during an 11-0 run early in the contest, as Onuaku bookended the spurt with a pair of layups, the latter giving the hosts an 18-8 lead just over seven minutes in.

"We needed to get the ball inside. Arinze [Onuaku] was really active out there on offense and defense tonight. Especially defense - he was the most active he's been all year," Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. "Kris [Joseph] has been playing extremely well all year and teams that extend their defense give him an opportunity to get to the basket."

Council was able to score the final eight points of the opening half to keep the Friars within 37-34 at the break.

Onuaku again fronted a 22-5 push to begin the second stanza, as the senior scored eight points down low over the seven-plus-minute stretch.

Triche added a three-pointer in the game-altering run and ended it with another layup for a 59-39 cushion that was never in doubt.