SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Kris Joseph scored 16 points, Dion Waiters added 14 and No. 5 Syracuse beat Fordham 78-53 on Saturday in their season opener.
Brandon Triche and C.J. Fair had nine points apiece and Scoop Jardine and James Southerland each scored seven as Orange coach Jim Boeheim emptied his bench in the first meeting between the schools since Syracuse's 80-63 victory four years ago.
Chris Gaston and Bryan Smith led Fordham with 13 points apiece. Branden Frazier had nine points, three steals and three assists, and Kerwin Bristol had eight rebounds.
Syracuse freshman Rakeem Christmas made his first start in place of departed star Rick Jackson, who averaged 13.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and a team-high 35.6 minutes last season. Christmas had five points and six rebounds in 20 minutes.
Fordham was 7-21 last year and 1-15 in the Atlantic 10, going 17 straight games without a win despite the performance of Gaston, who ranked fourth nationally with 11.3 rebounds per game and also averaged nearly 16 points.
The Rams have four freshmen and three sophomores this season, and got off to a slow start in the opener. They shot 25.9 percent (7 of 27) in the first half and made only 1 of 10 from beyond the arc. Senior Alberto Estwick failed to score in 20 minutes of play.
Fordham went more than 11 minutes without a basket - from a fast-break layup by Frazier at 17:56 to a tip by Gaston with 6:29 left - as Syracuse led by as many as 18 points in the first half.
Even when the Rams had open shots, they quickly disappeared. When the 6-foot-10 Bristol went up for an easy shot with 2:36 left, Southerland soared high above and stuffed it, though he was called for a foul.
The Orange led 32-19 at the break after registering six blocks and making 5 of 11 3-pointers. Five players scored five points apiece in the period, with Jardine, Waiters, Joseph, Fair and Southerland each hitting one 3.
Syracuse put the game out of reach with a 15-5 spurt in the second. Joseph hit a 3 from the left wing, Fair converted a miss by Joseph, and Waiters' steal and fast-break dunk capped the run and made it 51-28 with 12:49 left.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
