Syracuse 70, Loyola Maryland 37: Rakeem Christmas recorded 18 points, nine rebounds and six blocks as the Orange cruised past the visiting Greyhounds in the first meeting between the schools.

Freshman Chris McCullough added 17 points and seven boards for Syracuse (4-1), which shot 51.9 percent from the field. Trevor Cooney tallied 13 points and Kaleb Joseph dished out seven assists for the Orange, who overcame 2-of-12 shooting from 3-point range.

Tyler Hubbard led the way with 21 points for Loyola (2-3), which shot a dismal 19.2 percent from the floor. Eric Laster added 14 points and Andre Walker dished out six assists as only three players scored for the Greyhounds.

Syracuse jumped out to a 17-1 lead after holding Loyola without a field goal for over 11 minutes to start the game. Christmas led the Orange with 10 points in the first half and they held the Greyhounds to just 15.4 percent shooting to take a 28-16 advantage into intermission.

McCullough keyed a 14-1 run to open up the second half to push the margin to 42-17. Cooney scored eight straight points during a 13-0 surge to put Syracuse on top 56-26 and the Orange went on to win their 54th consecutive non-conference home game.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Syracuse went 14-of-24 from the free-throw line while Loyola finished 10-of-19. … Orange F Tyler Roberson missed the game with an abdominal strain. … McCullough has scored in double figures in the first five games of his collegiate career.