After rolling his left ankle and not scoring in the Orange's season-opening win against Albany on Monday night, Rautins rebounded Wednesday night, hitting seven three-pointers and scoring 22 points in leading No. 25 Syracuse to a 100-60 victory against the Colonials.

"There was a thought," said Rautins, who sat out most of the second half against Albany and was day-to-day. "But the biggest thought in my mind was we have the day off tomorrow to get some rest and have the rest of the week to get back into it.

"I said I was going to give it everything I had today. If I went out there and couldn't play, then I couldn't play," said Rautins, who had four of the Orange's 17 steals. "But I was at least going to give it a shot. The adrenaline took over and the guys got me fired up. It was a good decision."

Was it ever. With Rautins shooting 7-for-10 from three-point range and the team finishing 13-for-26, the Orange's big men had another stellar outing. In the opening half, center Arinze Onuaku (FSY) shot 7-for-8 and forward Rick Jackson hit all three of his attempts as the Orange dominated inside, just as they did against Albany.

The two big men combined to hit 11 of 13 shots and are 21-for-24 in the first two games of the season. Small wonder that guards Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine combined for 16 assists with four turnovers against the Colonials.

"They knocked us out with their perimeter game and their post game. We couldn't pick a poison," Robert Morris coach Mike Rice said. "I don't think this team is ready for a setting like the Carrier Dome. This team is still developing. We've lost back-to-back NEC players of the year. We're just kind of figuring out everybody's role and what we're supposed to do."

Velton Jones had 15 points to lead Robert Morris, and freshman guard Karon Abraham added 13.

Syracuse (2-0) will play No. 12 California in a week at Madison Square Garden in the next round of the 2K Sports Classic, which benefits Coaches vs. Cancer.

Rautins, who missed all six shots he attempted against Albany, including four three-pointers, found his range early against the Colonials (0-1). He hit a three-pointer from the left corner and another from the right wing to help Syracuse take a 10-6 lead in the first 5 minutes. He made three more three-pointers in the first 3:09 of the second half to give Syracuse a 71-36 advantage.

"I asked a lot of him. It was his decision," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "Andy always wants to play. I think it comes down to if a player decides he can go. He came out very confident. His defense was good, he was getting his hands on balls."

Robert Morris, a commuter school in suburban Pittsburgh, won 24 games last season and the Northeast Conference tournament before losing to Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. But the Colonials lost Jeremy Chappell (FSY), the NEC player of the year, and defensive standout Bateko Francisco from that team, and they were no match for Syracuse on Wednesday.

The Orange shot 58.3% and forced 28 turnovers. Still, Robert Morris stayed close in the opening minutes despite struggling to find open space in Syracuse's active zone before the Orange took control with a 13-0 run.

"The other night we had a tremendous defensive game and really struggled on offense," Boeheim said. "That was a concern tonight. But we really played well offensively. We had a tremendous game. Whatever defense they played, we attacked it."

After Jones hit a runner in the lane to pull the Colonials to 24-21 at 8:35, Triche set up Wes Johnson for a windmill dunk and followed with a fast-break layup for a seven-point lead.

Jardine converted four free throws and fed Johnson for a one-handed dunk, and Johnson finished the spurt with a soft shot off the backboard from the right side. That gave Syracuse a 37-21 lead with 5:12 left.

The Colonials missed two three-pointers and committed two turnovers on their final four possessions of the half as Syracuse scored the final 10 points. The closing spurt was punctuated by a long three-pointer from the top of the key by Rautins and a follow dunk by Jackson as the Orange left the court with a 55-32 lead.

"I don't think we really surprised ourselves," Rautins said. "I think that we're capable of doing this every game."

Enlarge By Kevin Rivoli, AP Syracuse's Andy Rautins made seven three-pointers and scored 22 points Wednesday in the Orange's victory against Robert Morris.