Kris Joseph and Rick Jackson scored 14 points each as No. 13 Syracuse pulled away for a 68-46 victory over Northern Iowa in Friday's season opener for both teams.

Dion Waiters had 10 points for the Orange, who lost three key starters from a team that won 30 games last season and reached the Sweet 16.

The new-look Orange struggled in the first half as they continue to adjust to life without Wesley Johnson, Arinze Onuaku and Andy Rautins. Syracuse shot just 1 of 10 from beyond the arc and trailed 23-20 after 20 minutes.

But Joseph, the Big East’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2009, helped them erupt in the second half. The 6-7 junior scored 10 points during a 21-5 run that put the Orange up 44-28 with 9:50 left.

Joseph had two 3-pointers in the run. Overall, the Orange hit 8 of 10 from beyond the arc in the second half.

Johnny Moran scored 15 points for Northern Iowa, a Cinderella story of last season's NCAA Tournament. The Panthers reached the Sweet 16 by stunning No. 1 seed Kansas behind a huge game from Ali Farokhmanesh.

The Panthers, however, lost Farokhmanesh and star center Adam Koch to graduation. They struggled against Syracuse’s suffocating 2-3 zone, shooting just 27.3 percent (15-of-55) from the field.