SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse was teetering on the brink, trail

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse was teetering on the brink, trailing nemesis Pittsburgh by a point with less than two minutes to play and the home crowd doing its best to rattle the Panthers. Amid all that late-game drama on Saturday stood Orange freshman point guard Tyler Ennis, an island of serenity inside the raucous Carrier Dome, and he simply did what he does best -- he took control. Ennis, from Brampton, Ont., converted two layups -- one with each hand through the middle of the Pitt defence -- and swished two free throws to complete a 16-point afternoon for the No. 2 Orange, who won 59-54 and improved to 18-0 and 5-0 atop the Atlantic Coast Conference. "He made some of the best plays that Ive seen in a long time," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said, comparing Ennis with Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara, who as freshmen led the Orange to the 2003 national championship. "You dont get to the basket against Pittsburgh." Ennis shrugged, happy that his team had won again. "Its really just the perfect situation," said Ennis, another of those rising stars from Canada. "I have a lot of teammates who have a lot of confidence and can make plays, and they make me look really good." The low-key Ennis hasnt attracted the attention usually associated with such a key player -- heck, he doesnt even have a tattoo -- but hes easily one of the best freshmen in the country. Entering this week, his assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.13 (99 assists with 24 turnovers) ranked fourth nationally, and only two other freshmen were in the top 50. Virginias London Perrantes was 33rd at 2.77 (61 assists, 22 turnovers), while UCLAs Bryce Alford was 48th at 2.57 (54 assists, 21 turnovers). "Ive used the word comical a lot this year. His assist-to-turnover ratio is almost comical," said McNamara, who coaches the Orange guards. "His feel is as good as Ive ever watched. I said that about Michael (Carter-Williams) last year. Tylers in that same realm. Its difficult to speed him up. He plays at the pace that he wants to play at." Even Enniss dad, Tony McIntyre, cant explain his sons emotional maturity. "He has always been that way. He doesnt show much emotion," said McIntyre, co-founder of the AAU basketball program CIA Bounce in the Toronto suburb of Brampton, Ontario. "Early on, I had to ask him, Do you even like basketball? It seems like youre bored. He said, I get excited when my players do well. "Hes just a smart kid. He thinks like a coach. If hes panicky, everybody else will panic. A point guard is supposed to be out there to make the four guys with him the best. Guys play harder with a guy they know theyll get the ball from, and hes never not won." Despite the departure of last seasons backcourt -- Brandon Triche graduated after four years and Carter-Williams was an NBA lottery pick after his stellar sophomore season -- the Orange are riding high with the 6-foot-2 Ennis running the offence. He also ranks third on the team in scoring (11.9), second in minutes (33.6), and tops in steals (48), a threat to eclipse the school record of 111 set last season by Carter-Williams. "Hes making everybody else score," said Orange guard Trevor Cooney, whos rediscovered his shooting touch with Ennis at his side, averaging nearly 14 points. "Hes always going to make the right play, and that makes us so much better." His dad said it all started 19 years ago. "Within four days after he was born, we brought the stroller into the gym with him in it," McIntyre said. "From that day, he never spent a day without basketball. He didnt have a choice." However, he played lacrosse and spent time on Canadas national game as a youngster. That helped hone Enniss basketball skills because he learned the nuances of the screen and roll. "He really excelled at it," McIntyre said. "At that time, he was way better in lacrosse." Not anymore. "We knew he was going to be great. We knew the potential and the maturity on the floor," said Mark Taylor, Enniss high school coach at St. Benedicts Prep in New Jersey. "He never gets out of control and hes the same off the court. Thats a rare thing -- to have a player that calm and humble." Dirk Nowitzki Mavericks Jersey . "I met her, I think, a week ago. We went to a Norwood hockey store and picked her out some gear. Steve Nash Jersey . Now, the hottest team on the ATP are pointing their sights on qualifying for the eight-team season finals in London next November. Pospisil has now established the year-end World Tour Finals as the benchmark for a breakthrough season, with Pospisil and Sock provisionally standing ninth. http://www.mavericksteamofficial.info/d ... ks-jersey/. -- Maxence Parrot of Bromont, Que. Jalen Brunson Jersey . -- Brady Heslip scored a season-high 20 points to help Baylor beat No. Jose Juan Barea Mavericks Jersey .com) - Guess whos back, back again? Josh Gordons back, tell a friend.CHICAGO -- All Masahiro Tanaka could do was put this one behind him and look forward to his next start. Hell be hard-pressed to match an unbeaten streak like this, though. Tanaka had his unbeaten regular-season run snapped at 42 starts, allowing a career-high four runs in six innings, and the Chicago Cubs beat the New York Yankees 6-1 on Tuesday night. The Cubs honoured the retiring Derek Jeter before the game, then handed Tanaka his first loss in nine major league starts. It was a surprising turn, considering Chicago came in with the majors worst record and the right-hander from Japan had been sensational. Tanaka (6-1) had been 34-0 in Japan and North America the last two seasons. He did drop Game 6 of the Japan Series last year before earning the save in Game 7. But post-season aside, he hadnt lost since the Seibu Lions beat the Rakuten Golden Eagles on Aug. 19, 2012. And yes, he was definitely proud of that streak. "I think I was able to get the streak going because I had support from my teammates," Tanaka said through an interpreter. "Im a little bit disappointed because I think a lot of the fans were looking for me to keep on winning. Next time out, Ill try to get a win again and get it going again." Luis Valbuena had three hits with two doubles and scored two runs for Chicago. John Baker had two hits, scored a run and drove in one. Mike Olt drove in three. Jason Hammel (5-2) pitched solid ball into the sixth and Hector Rondon retired Jeter on a grounder with the bases loaded in the ninth, preserving the win on a hot and rainy night with thunder and lightning. Tanaka had his worst outing, allowing eight hits to match a career high. He struck out seven and walked one but didnt really have his usual command. Manager Joe Girardi noticed some splitters up in the zone. Tanaka said there were issues with all his pitches, and Chicagos Starlin Castro thought there was a dip in velocity from last months meeting in New York, when he threw eight scoreless innings. Some Cubs players thought familiarity this time around helped, although Girardi dismissed that idea. "If he has his good splitterr tonight I think he gives a much better performance," he said.dddddddddddd "Since its the first time that he saw a team twice and they scored four runs, people are probably going to make a big deal out of it, but I think hes given up four runs before in a start. So I wouldnt make too much of it." Coming off his first major-league shutout against the Mets last week, Tanaka gave up RBI singles to Emilio Bonifacio in the third and to Olt in the fourth to make it 2-0. The Cubs added to their lead with two in the sixth on back-to-back sacrifice flies by Olt and Baker after Mark Teixeira singled in a run in the top half for New York. That was enough for Hammel, who allowed one run and four hits in 5 2-3 innings while striking out six and walking one. The righty took a hard one-hopper to his pitching hand while deflecting Brett Gardners single to start the game, then threw his first warmup pitch to the backstop after that. He also hit a batter and threw a wild pitch in the inning but settled down after despite some mounting soreness. "It got a little worse as the game was going on," he said. The Cubs saluted Jeter before the game, with Castro presenting him a number 2 from the famed Wrigley Field scoreboard at home plate as the crowd cheered. And there was a loud ovation when the Yankees captain batted in the first. Former Cub Soriano also got a warm welcome in his first game at Wrigley Field since the Cubs traded him to New York last July. He was 0 for 4. NOTES: Asked if theres any chance hell play after this season, Soriano said, "Yeah, I feel good." He plans to keep playing if he feels this way at the end of the season. Hes in the final year of an eight-year deal he signed with Chicago before the 2007 season. ... The Yankees wont have to leave town after this two-game series wraps up, with a four-game set at the White Sox opening Thursday. ... Cubs manager Rick Renteria said OF Justin Ruggiano is close to returning from a strained left hamstring but didnt give a specific date. He also said reliever Pedro Strop is "coming along" as he recovers from a strained left groin. ' ' '