Arinze Onuaku said he heard the harsh mispronunciation of his name on SportsCenter Tuesday morning.

ESPN better get it right sooner or later.

Onuaku had a career night in the Syracuse’s win over St. Joseph’s, 72-69, Tuesday night, tallying 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting in 30 minutes of play. He added three offensive rebounds and one steal.

After the game, though, SU head coach Jim Boeheim complimented the 6-foot-9 center’s work on the defensive end as one of the keys to the game.

‘I thought we did do a good job on (St. Joe’s) Ahmad Nivins inside,’ Boeheim said. ‘He’s a good player, I saw him over the summer. I think Arinze and Ricky (Jackson) did a good job on him.’

Onuaku, who redshirted last season after offseason knee surgery, was somewhat quiet in his first game back against Siena, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds. Last night, he made much more of his presence felt and was key in spurring a late-game rally by scoring seven straight points to give SU a 58-56 lead with six minutes remaining.

‘I was just trying to finish around the basket,’ said Onuaku, who was the beneficiary of several of Jonny Flynn’s six assists. ‘The guards were getting in the lanes, dishing it down. That’s what I do: I finish around the basket.’

For the second straight night, Onuaku made a rim-rattling dunk on a fast break off a feed from Flynn, this one early in the second half.

‘He’s been working hard,’ SU forward Donte Greene said. ‘He’s been waiting, itching to get out. What he’s doing now, it’s from all his hard work. He’s been waiting for this, and now he’s getting his opportunity, and I’m happy for him.’

The most anticipated pregame matchup was expected to be Onuaku and St. Joseph’s top threat, Nivins, who worked out with the USA Basketball team over the summer and reportedly impressed Boeheim with his ability. Nivins, an All-Atlantic 10 first-team selection last season, was essentially shut out Tuesday, limited to just three points and five rebounds thanks in part to Onuaku’s steady defensive work.

‘I’ve been hearing about him since the buzzer blew yesterday,’ Onuaku said. ‘I just tried to put the pressure on him on the defensive end, make him work. And when he was on offense, I tried to stay in front of him and keep the presence out of there.’

Onuaku scored 11 of his 17 points after halftime, and he could have added a few more if he had converted more than three of his seven free-throw attempts.

Onuaku said he wasn’t too pleased with his performance Monday against Siena, which was a difficult matchup because of the Saints’ lack of size. Likewise against St. Joe’s, he didn’t get many opportunities to play with his back to the basket and utilize his post moves. But Onuaku did take advantage of the passes his teammates sent him and did a nice job finishing around the basket, particularly in the second half.

Onuaku’s performance is a good sign for Syracuse, which has a lot invested in the redshirt sophomore who Boeheim considered ‘like a freshman’ after the team’s first exhibition, due to Onuaku’s inexperience. The Orange lost three of its top four rebounders from last year’s team to graduation, and Onuaku, who played sparingly two seasons ago, was expected to step in and fill the void immediately.

So far, so good.

‘He was a beast down there,’ SU forward Paul Harris said. ‘That’s what we needed. We needed some more help on the boards and more offense, and that’s what he did tonight.’

Published on November 13, 2007 at 12:00 pm