A bounce-back week, and a colossal home win, has put the Rutgers men's lacrosse team on the cusp of a top-10 ranking.

The Scarlet Knights moved up seven spots and are ranked 11th nationally in the Maverik Division-1 media poll after beating now-No. 15 Syracuse, 14-10, on Sunday at High Point Solutions Stadium in front of a school-record crowd of 5,048.

Rutgers, which defeated now-No. 12 Lehigh on the road earlier in the week, is 6-2 headed into its final non-conference game Saturday night at home against Delaware. The Scarlet Knights have won two straight since a fourth-quarter collapse led to an upset loss at Princeton two weeks ago.

"We got back to the basics of taking care of ourselves and playing to our strengths, both offensively and defensively," Rutgers head coach Brian Brecht said in a school release. "It's a big win for our alumni, a big win for our program over one of the most tradition rich programs in our sport, and to be able to do this at home in front of our fans. I thought the offense really grew up today to help us win a big game. This is great momentum heading into the second half of the season with one last non-conference game left before Big Ten play."

The Scarlet Knights were led against Syracuse by attack Jules Heningburg, who tied career-highs with six goals and eight points. Midfield Christian Mazzone had three goals and midfield Casey Rose added two for Rutgers, which trailed, 8-7, late in the third quarter before scoring seven straight goals. Max Edelmann had 10 saves in the cage for Rutgers.

Rutgers is the Big Ten's third-highest ranked team. Maryland is currently No. 2 in the nation behind top-ranked Albany and Johns Hopkins is ninth. The Scarlet Knights will host Hopkins in their conference opener on April 1. The Big Ten's other three lacrosse programs - Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State - are unranked but receiving votes.

Saturday's non-conference finale against Delaware will evoke painful memories for Rutgers. The Blue Hens stunned the Scarlet Knights last season after they reached a No. 1 ranking, beginning a freefall that led to Rutgers being snubbed from the NCAA Tournament. That can't happen again for a team that will be defined by whether or not it ends Rutgers' 14-year postseason drought.

"This is a big time win for our program," Heningburg said in a release. "It gives us lots of momentum. It means a lot to all of the guys in the locker room. We came out today and executed. We need to take this forward now and get the next one."

James Kratch may be reached at jkratch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.