Akron Akron/Syracuse Syracuse Men's College Basketball recap on ESPN

With the No. 20 Orangemen clinging to a narrow lead over Akron late in the first half, Shumpert hit consecutive 3-pointers to key a 20-point run and an 81-51 victory in the first round of the Carrier Classic.

Shumpert finished with 25 points. He helped Syracuse (6-0) pull away from a 27-22 edge after the Zips (1-1) switched defenses.

"Preston broke it open when they went to the zone," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "It was a close game right then, and he makes the two 3s. Those were backbreakers."

And they came after Boeheim whispered in his ear.

"We just needed a little push," said Shumpert, who entered the game averaging 24.4 points. "I hit one and made another and then we got a rebound. Taking it down past coach, he just said, `Take another one.' So I went and took another one and got fouled. I think right there I sort of put the game away."

Syracuse will play Virginia Tech (2-3) for the championship Saturday night. The Hokies defeated winless Fairfield 65-61 earlier Friday.

Shumpert hit two free throws to finish an 11-point run at the end of the first half, giving Syracuse a 38-22 lead, and the Orangemen kept it up, scoring the first nine points of the second period. By the time the rush was over, the lead was 47-22 and the Zips were finished.

"The second half we didn't let them get that second chance," said Syracuse point guard Allen Griffin, who had eight points, five assists and no turnovers. "When we hit them with a bunch, we just kept coming at them, kept coming at them until the game got too wide-open that they couldn't come back."

Damone Brown, who scored 21 points, began the second half with a back-door layup and DeShaun Williams followed with a fast-break layup. Brown then hit a three-point play and fed Shumpert underneath the basket for a reverse layup to finish the run.

"They're a very good team," said David Falknor, who led the Zips with 12 points. "Earlier in the (first) half, we had them down. Miscommunication was a big deal on the defensive end. It was definitely the key to our loss."

Nate Schindewolf and Bruce Weinkein each had seven points against Syracuse's tough zone defense.

The Zips stayed close early in the first half only because of their long-range shooting. They hit their first five 3-pointers, two each by Emmanuel Smith and Falknor and the other by Schindewolf.

Every time Syracuse appeared set to run away with it, the Zips came back.

A steal and fast-break dunk by Brown gave Syracuse a 15-7 lead with 12:20 to play in the opening period, but Falknor hit a 3 for Akron.

Syracuse came back with a steal and fast-break dunk off a trap play by DeShaun Williams to make it 17-11, but Smith responded with another 3-pointer to keep the Zips within 17-14 with 8:45 to go.

And so it went until the fateful run.

"One time when I went to the bench, coach said, `They're 5-for-5 from the 3-point line, but they're 1-for-12 inside the paint,' " Griffin said. "So we had to stop them from shooting 3s, and that's what we did in the second half."

Akron, which committed 24 turnovers, went more than eight minutes without a basket. After Smith made a 3 with 5:41 to go in the first period, the Zips didn't get another basket until Weinkein's lay-in with 17:29 left in the game.

Syracuse had 10 steals, seven blocks and committed only eight turnovers and shot 52.3 percent for the game.

Akron coach Dan Hipsher was given two technical fouls and ejected with 13:32 to play. Shumpert hit all four free throws for a 61-30 Syracuse lead.

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