SYRACUSE — All the positive vibes Syracuse generated with its hard-earned wins over two nationally ranked teams in Kansas City earlier this week nearly vanished Friday night.

But it appears this Orange team has the character and determination to succeed even when it doesn't play its best.

Overcoming an 11-point halftime deficit, SU surged back with a spirited second-half performance to beat Virginia 73-70 in a nonconference game before 22,096 in the Carrier Dome.

Jonny Flynn scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half, and the Orange (6-0) also received strong performances from reserves Rick Jackson and Andy Rautins as it finally put away the Cavaliers (3-2).

"I guess coach (Jim) Boeheim should light into us before the game to get us ready," said Flynn, who also ignited telling SU rallies against Kansas and Florida to win the CBE Classic. "There's no real explanation why we haven't played well in the first half. We have to come out with the mind-set of playing two good halves and that will take care of everything."

Boeheim had an easy answer why his club has struggled in the first half of the last three games.

"We're too impatient on offense," Boeheim said. "It's like we're using the first half to figure out what to do in the second half. That won't work against good teams."

Boeheim also accepted the blame for scheduling Virginia, an Atlantic Coast Conference team, after two tough games on the road. This was SU's sixth game in the last 12 days.

"I told the kids it was all my fault," he said. "I don't really know what I was thinking putting this game in our schedule. Fortunately, the kids found a way to overcome my mistake."

Trailing almost the entire first half and down 40-27 at halftime, SU used a more tenacious man-to-man defense to limit the Cavaliers (3-1) to just 30 points in the second half. That helped energize the SU offense, which shot just 36 percent in the first 20 minutes, but responded with a 60-percent effort (12-for-20) the final half.

"When we move the ball, and spread teams out, it opens so many offensive options," said Rautins, who finished with 15 points, including two 3-pointers in succession to give SU the lead for good. "My teammates trusted me to pick them up, and I had some good looks. Then when they came at me, I was able to get some penetration and dish off for easy buckets."

Said Boeheim: "With Andy in there, we're a little smaller. But we're also quicker and can do more things."

Three dunks by Jackson, two off Rautins dishes and one from Eric Devendorf (14 points), were also key to SU's comeback.

Jackson was playing only because starting center Arinze Onuaku was in foul trouble. Onuaku scored just six points and played only 25 minutes.

"I knew I had to give my teammates a lift," said Jackson. "They were paying so much attention to Andy and Eric, I was wide open. They (the dunks) were about as easy as it gets."

Behind 47-39 with 14:14 remaining, Flynn started the rally by converting a three-point play. Back-to-back Jackson dunks brought SU to within 52-47, and a Flynn reverse layup cut the margin to three points with 10 minutes left.

Rautins's 3-pointer brought SU to within 56-55. Flynn then spotted Rautins open on the wing, and he drained a 3 to bring the crowd to its feet.

"Andy gives us such a weapon off the bench," said Flynn, who also had six assists. "And he's just not a shooter. He made a couple great passes to Rick that completely broke down their defense."

Another Jackson jam, from Rautins, gave SU its biggest lead, 62-56, at the 6:11 mark. However, Virginia made the Orange work until the very end.

Ahead 72-70 with 2.9 seconds left, Rautins made only one of two free throws. But the Cavaliers could not get off a potential tying shot as Flynn and Devendorf hounded Mustapha Farrakhan at midcourt.

Paul Harris contributed 13 points and eight rebounds for SU, while freshman Sylven Landesberg led Virginia with 16 points.

"It crossed my mind that all the great work we did this week might have gone down the drain," added Flynn. "But we have way too much pride to lose a game like this."

SU, which figures to be ranked this week, doesn't get much of a breather, hosting Colgate and Cornell on Monday and Wednesday, respectively.