PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) - April Sykes scored 14 points and Khadijah Rushdan added 13 to help No. 10 Rutgers beat Syracuse 55-44 on Tuesday night.
The Scarlet Knights (12-2, 1-0 Big East) returned to the top 10 this week for the first time in three years. They were No. 3 on Nov. 17, 2008.
With the game tied at 36 midway through the second half, Sykes and Rushdan took over, scoring all the points during an 11-1 run. Rushdan had the first five with a three-point play and a pair of free throws, and Sykes converted a steal for a layup and hit a 3-pointer to make it 46-37 with just over 6 minutes left. Rushdan capped the burst with one more free throw.
Syracuse (11-5, 0-2) could only get within six the rest of the way.
Iasia Hemingway scored 14 points - all in the second half - to lead the Orange, who were coming off consecutive 51-point blowout victories.
Syracuse trailed 28-20 at the break and fell behind by 11 early in the second half after Sykes' 3-point fling from the top of the key just beat the shot clock. The Orange then went on a 14-3 run to tie it at 34. Hemingway had six consecutive points during the burst.
Trailing 16-15 midway through the first half, Rutgers held Syracuse to just four points the rest of the period, going on a 13-4 run. Erica Wheeler had the final five points during the surge, including a 3-pointer with 34 seconds left that made it 28-20. Carmen Tyson-Thomas provided the only real offense for Syracuse, scoring half the team's points, including eight of the first 10.
She finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
