COLLEGE BASKETBALL

• Syracuse blows out No. 6 North Carolina with strong second half

  
  

  New York, NY (Sports Network) - Wesley Johnson was 10-of-17 shooting for 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds, as Syracuse continued an impressive start to the season with an 87-71 thumping of sixth-ranked North Carolina in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden.

  Arinze Onuaku scored 15 while Andy Rautins had 11 points, seven steals, seven boards and seven assists for Syracuse (4-0), which reached the 2K Sports final with a convincing 95-73 rout of 13th-ranked California on Thursday.

  The Orange turned the contest on its head to begin the second half with an incredible 22-1 run that saw a two-point halftime deficit morph into a 19- point lead.

  A balanced scoring effort for the Orange also included Kris Joseph's 12 points and 11 from Brandon Triche. The team shot a combined 54.4 percent from the field and nailed 9-of-21 three-point attempts.

  Ed Davis posted 16 points and 10 rebounds while Marcus Ginyard notched 15 and eight for the Tar Heels (4-1), who gained a berth in the championship by beating No. 15 Ohio State on Thursday, 77-73.

  Deon Thompson checked in with 11 points and seven boards in the loss as UNC shot 38.1 percent from the floor and connected on just 4-of-16 shots from beyond the arc.

  11/20 21:48:43 ET