Syracuse had to work but remained perfect early in its extended homestand.

The 13th-ranked Orange used a big second half to post an 86-67 victory over Canisius on Sunday at the Carrier Dome.

Syracuse (2-0) plays its first 14 games of the season at home. No. 2 Michigan State comes calling in a few weeks but most of the schedule is packed with cupcakes for the Orange to fatten their record. Sunday's game was supposed to be one of those easy wins, but nobody told the Golden Griffins that, especially early on.

Canisius (1-1) held its own in the opening 20 minutes and trailed only 32-29 at the half. In the second half, the Golden Griffins just ran out of gas.

The Orange outscored the Golden Griffins 19-10 over the first seven minutes of the second half for some breathing room and ultimately had a 54-38 edge over the final 20 minutes.

Rick Jackson led Syracuse with 17 points, 15 rebounds and four assists.

Elton Frazier scored 16 points and had 13 rebounds for Canisius.