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No. 7 Syracuse 89, Fordham 74: C.J. Fair poured in 26 points and Jerami Grant recorded a double-double as the Orange dominated the first half before holding on to defeat the Rams.

While Trevor Cooney delivered a surprising, career-high 27-point performance in Syracuse's season-opening win, some more familiar faces lifted the Orange (2-0) in this one. Fair, the team's leading scorer and rebounder a season ago, had 15 points in the first half, while Grant, who played well in limited playing time last year, delivered 11 of his 16 points in the opening 20 minutes.

Branden Frazier led Fordham (1-1) with a game-high 33 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Jon Severe added 19 points for the Rams, who outscored the Orange 53-43 in the second half to make the final score more respectable.

After falling behind by 14 against Cornell in its opener, Syracuse had no such problems in this one. Freshman guard Tyler Ennis (16 points) scored 14 seconds into the game before a 3-pointer by Fair gave the Orange an early 11-2 lead en route to a 25-point halftime advantage.

The first half also included a 10-2 run in which Grant scored six points, and the Orange closed the opening session by not allowing a field goal in the final four minutes, during which they pushed the lead from 32-17 to 46-21. Frazier and Fordham controlled play in the second half, but Syracuse was never seriously threatened.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Frazier had 14 of Fordham's 21 points in the first half. ... Grant, who did not play in Syracuse's opener due to unspecified reasons, led the Orange with 10 rebounds and three steals. ... DaJuan Coleman also had a double-double for Syracuse with 10 points and 10 boards.