Syracuse, N.Y. ? Gerry McNamara has that swagger again.

Coming off two lackluster performances, the junior guard had 19 points, 10 assists and a career-high nine rebounds to lead No. 7 Syracuse past Rice, 88-72, Wednesday night.

It was the third victory in five days for the Orange (11-1), but in wins over Drexel and Cornell, McNamara was off his game, scoring a total of 14 points and committing eight turnovers to go with eight assists. Against the Owls (5-3), the old McNamara turned up, keying a decisive 17-4 spurt early in the second half to break open what had been a tight game.

“I have to score, and I have to be able to run an offense,” said McNamara, whose greatest accomplishment might have been getting 7-foot center Craig Forth to emerge from a season-long slumber. “If I do that well, we’ll be successful. The last few games we struggled because I didn’t play that well. Tonight, I was a different player.”

McNamara and Forth sparked the Syracuse surge, which broke open a game that was tied nine times in the first half. Forth, who went scoreless in three straight games and had watched his playing time dwindle, fed Hakim Warrick for a layup to begin the run and give Syracuse a 42-37 lead at 18:38.

McNamara then worked his magic, assisting on baskets by Louie McCroskey and Josh Pace before stealing a pass and dashing the length of the court for a layup.

“Gerry was back. Obviously, we’re a different offensive team when he plays,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “We struggled for two games when he struggled. We hit a good stretch at the end of the first half, and defensively we picked it up at the start of the second.”

No. 5 Wake Forest 81,

New Mexico 64

Albuquerque, N.M. — Chris Paul scored 15 of his 23 points in the second half, and Wake Forest’s backcourt proved too tough for New Mexico.

The Demon Deacons (10-1) used their depth, rebounding prowess and backcourt trio of Paul, Justin Gray and Taron Downey to break the game open in the second half.

Danny Granger had 24 points and nine rebounds for the Lobos (10-2), who were no match for Wake Forest’s three guards and ball-hawking defense. New Mexico shot a season-low 32.8 percent.

No. 8 Kentucky 92,

William & Mary 47

Lexington, Ky. — Chuck Hayes scored 18 points, and Kelenna Azubuike added 17 for the Wildcats (8-1), who won their fourth straight. Reid Markham and Taylor Mokris each had seven points for William & Mary (3-5), which shot 37.2 percent from the field and finished with a season-high 32 turnovers.

No. 11 Connecticut 87,

Cent. Connecticut 59

Hartford, Conn. — Marcus Williams had a school-record 16 assists, and Josh Boone and Charlie Villaneuva each scored 20 points to lead the Huskies (6-1). DeMario Anderson led the Blue Devils (2-5) with 23 points.

No. 12 Washington 114, Sacred Heart 53

Seattle — Jamal Williams scored a career-high 22 points to lead a school-record eight Washington players in double figures for the Huskies. Freshman Joel Smith had 15 points for the Huskies (9-1), and Bobby Jones had 14.

No. 18 Louisville 77,

Austin Peay 49

Louisville, Ky. — Taquan Dean scored 16 points, and Ellis Myles had 12 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Cardinals (8-2) in the championship game of the Billy Minardi Classic. Myles, who turned 23 Wednesday, sat out Tuesday’s 80-60 win over IUPUI because of a tight hamstring. Maurice Hampton and William Durden each scored eight points to lead Austin Peay (2-7).

No. 19 Alabama 76,

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 54

Tuscaloosa, Ala. — Kennedy Winston had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Crimson Tide (10-1), who closed the game with a 24-4 run. Aaron White had 13 points for the Islanders (7-2), who closed a 16-point deficit to 52-50 before the deciding run.

No. 21 Mississippi St. 95, Jacksonville St. 53

Jackson, Miss. — Lawrence Roberts had 22 points and a season-high 20 rebounds for the Bulldogs (11-2) in their fifth straight win. Brandon Roberts had 15 points for Jacksonville State (4-7), which lost its fifth straight.

No. 22 Cincinnati 84,

La Salle 63

Cincinnati — James White and Eric Hicks each had 15 points for the Bearcats (9-0) in front of a small crowd kept away by a snowstorm. Steven Smith had 35 points for the Explorers (1-7).