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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Syracuse guard Trevor Cooney was mired in a shooting slump, and his woes coincided with a late-season swoon by the Orange. Say goodbye to both. Cooney scored 18 points, fellow guard Tyler Ennis of Brampton, Ont., had 16, and the Orange defence clamped down in a 77-53 victory over Western Michigan on Thursday in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Cooney hit 4 of 8 from beyond the arc and Ennis had six assists with one turnover to spark the Orange, who shot 28 of 57 (49.1 per cent) from the field and hit 7 of 17 from long range. "It was just good to see one go in," Cooney said. "It adds to your confidence a little bit, and I was able to get into a good rhythm and guys found me in good spots. The ball just went in today." Since matching a school record with nine 3-pointers that keyed a six-point win over Notre Dame last month, Cooney had hit just 10 of 51 (19.6 per cent) from beyond the arc. That abysmal shooting came during Syracuses swoon, which included a three-point loss to North Carolina State in the ACC tournament last week. Thats all forgotten now. "Same guy," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. "Hes just got to get his looks and take them. Hes definitely stayed up the whole time. Hes played the other parts of the game. Its a big difference when he makes shots." Syracuse (28-5), the third seed in the South Regional, will play 11th-seeded Dayton (24-10) on Saturday. Dayton beat Ohio State 60-59 on Thursday. The Orange won their first 25 games and were ranked No. 1 for three weeks before losing five of seven in that late-season skid. Western Michigan (23-10), the Mid-American Conference champion, had won 14 of 16 games and was in the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade. The Orange forced 11 turnovers in the opening half and scored 13 points off them in running out to a double-digit lead before the midpoint of the period. Syracuse used an 18-4 spurt over 10 minutes to take control and led 40-21 at halftime. The Broncos took care of the ball in the second half, losing it only twice, but the deficit was much too daunting to overcome as Syracuse dominated the glass 41-25 and scored 15 second-chance points. "We ran into a buzz saw today," WMU coach Steve Hawkins said. "We made too many mistakes in the first half. We had 11 turnovers in the first half and thats what staked them out to that lead. I felt like after we started taking care of the ball in the second half, we got a few better looks." Jerami Grant finished with 16 points, while C.J. Fair, double- and triple-teamed nearly every time he touched the ball, finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Shayne Whittington and Tucker Haymond led Western Michigan with 11 points apiece. David Brown, the MAC scoring champion, finished with a season-low nine points on 2-of-12 shooting, 2 of 10 from long range. Syracuse rode its defence to the Final Four a year ago and the zone was stellar from the opening tip against the Broncos. The Broncos split two games with Eastern Michigan during the season, learning the nuances of the zone defence employed by Eagles coach Rob Murphy, an assistant at Syracuse for eight years before taking over at EMU. "We hope its a help," Hawkins said. It wasnt. Same system, maybe, but different personnel. "Theyre long and athletic, and they make you second-guess where you want to throw the ball," Brown said. "I feel that we were hesitant. We turned the ball over way too much." The Syracuse defence had to focus on WMUs fifth-year seniors Whittington and Brown and did the job. Whittington was hounded in the lane, unable to generate much, taking just seven shots. And while Brown was his usual self at the free throw line, he had only four chances, hitting three. "We came out playing pressure defence," Fair said. "We werent going to let them get comfortable." They didnt. The Broncos committed four quick turnovers as Syracuse took a 7-2 lead on a 3-pointer by Cooney just over 3 minutes in. Brown led the MAC at 19.4 points per game and earned MVP of the conference tournament after scoring a career-high 32 points that included five 3-pointers in the final against Toledo, and he makes a good living at the free throw line. Brown was 196 of 254 (77.2 per cent) from the line, most of the fouls coming while he was attempting one of the 237 shots he took from behind the arc. He found no room to roam against the Orange, missing three times from well beyond the 3-point line before finally hitting near the midpoint of the opening half. Whittington is a hulking figure in the lane at 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds, but Grant easily spun around him and slammed home a ferocious two-handed dunk to boost the Syracuse lead to 12-4. Cooneys second 3 and a layup by Ennis had the Broncos 13 points behind and reeling. Fairs three-point play and a 3-pointer from the wing by Ennis off a feed from Grant inside gave Syracuse a 31-13 lead with 4:08 to go in the half. Whittington shook off a foul by Grant and hit a pretty hook in the lane that he turned into a three-point play and Brown followed with two free throws and his first 3 to give the Broncos a glimmer of hope. Syracuse responded with a slam dunk by senior centre Baye Moussa Keita, another 3 from Cooney, and a putback by Fair off a miss by Ennis to gain the 19-point halftime lead. If the Broncos hoped to make a comeback in the second half, that idea was quickly squashed. After a layup by Connar Tava -- Grant was called for goaltending on the play -- and a free throw by Haymond closed the gap to 16 points, Syracuse responded with an 8-2 spurt that Cooney started with a four-point play. .com) - Robert Martin and Josh Hicks combined for more than 300 yards rushing and three touchdowns, as Rutgers rolled past North Carolina, 40-21, in the Quick Lane Bowl. . - All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked spry enough in pregame warmups Sunday for Green Bays divisional playoff game against Dallas. http://www.argentinasoccerauthentic.com ... ca-Jersey/. -- C.J. Wilson parked his car and laughed while signing autographs for faceless fans who handed bats, balls and cards to the pitcher from the other side of a brick wall. . Howard had 17 points and a career-high-tying 26 rebounds in his Houston debut, James Harden added 21 points and the Rockets cruised to a 96-83 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. . Hall had a goal and three assists in a 5-4 loss to San Jose on Tuesday, had an assist in each of Edmontons next two games the capped the week with a goal and two assists in the Oilers 4-2 win over Anaheim on Sunday.TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays made a splash last off-season when they acquired Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, John Buck, Emilio Bonifacio and Josh Johnson from the Miami Marlins. That trade didnt get the expected results for Toronto, and general manager Alex Anthopoulos is moving the team in a different direction. Bonifacio was traded by the Blue Jays on Wednesday to the Kansas City Royals for a player to be named later or cash, while Johnson will have an MRI to see how long it will take for him to recover from a strained right forearm. "Clearly they havent played and performed the way we expected them to when we acquired them, theres no doubt about that at all," said Anthopoulos when asked if he was second guessing the Marlins deal. "But the process when you go into these things you know theres no guarantees of performance. "Sometimes you have guys that perform a lot better than you thought they could both internally and externally." Bonifacio hit .218 as a utility player this season with three home runs, 20 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases. He saw time at second base, shortstop and all three outfield positions. Kansas City claimed the 28-year-old on waivers, forcing Anthopoulos to strike a deal. "It just didnt work out," said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. "Ton of talent, got some opportunities. It just never came together on a consistent basis. We loved the guy, what he brings to the park. He shows up to play, he could make some things happen, there just wasnt enough consistency there." The Toronto front office agreed with Gibbons assessment after the trade with the Royals was complete. "I think we expected him to be a better player, a better player overall," said Anthopoulos. "I think theres no dooubt about that, we thought wed get more out of him offensively, defensively, all of it.dddddddddddd "That didnt happen. I dont want to diminish his talent or take away his work ethic." Johnson (2-6) has struggled on the mound all season with a 6.20 earned-run average. The right-hander was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Aug. 7 with a strained right forearm. An MRI scheduled for Wednesday night will decide if he plays for Toronto again this season. "Its too hard to tell," said Anthopoulos. "I think well know more tonight and certainly tomorrow and then Ill be able to make a determination." The Royals are 6 1/2 games out of first place in the American League Central and four games back of the second wild-card spot. Trading Bonifacio cleared space on the roster for outfielder Kevin Pillar, who was recalled from Buffalo. Pillar, the Blue Jays 32nd-round pick in the 2011 draft, could make his major-league debut at Rogers Centre on Wednesday night against the Boston Red Sox. "This gives us a chance to bring Pillar up and get a look at him too," said Gibbons. Toronto also announced that outfielder Colby Rasmus was on the 15-day disabled list and recalled popular infielder Munenori Kawasaki. Gibbons said that Kawasakis return to Toronto already had an impact on the Blue Jays clubhouse. "When he walked into the clubhouse you could hear that the noise level rose," said Gibbons. More changes could be in store soon for the last-place Blue Jays, who are 17 games back of the American League East-leading Red Sox. Johnson and Bonifacio are not the only pieces of the Miami trade that have had issues. Although Reyes had a hot start to the season, he missed two and a half months with a severely sprained left ankle. ' ' '