Photo courtesy: cuse.com
Syracuse-- On ACC media day, Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim said he expected his freshmen to step up this year. The Orange lost three starters in C.J. Fair, Jerami Grant, and Tyler Ennis, the most they've ever lost in terms of offensive production as well as a team leader in backup center Baye Moussa Keita .
Those early points by the freshmen foreshadowed how they'd lead the team the rest of the way in the Orange's exhibition opener against the number one nationally-ranked Canadian team.
"I think our freshmen did all we could ask them to do," Jim Boeheim said, "especially Kaleb."
Leading From Behind
Syracuse spent most of the game trailing the Ravens. The Orange was down 39-30 at the half and would go on to be as far back as 15 points.
Joseph led the team in scoring. He was seven of nine from the field and hit clutch shots to keep the Orange in reasonable distance. He had three jumpers, including a fadeaway with Ravens' guard Victor Raso in his face, which put the Orange up 68-62 with five minutes left to play in the game.
"It was fun," Joseph said. "As a point guard its my job to be aggressive, that's what coach asked me to do."
When the Carleton defense sagged on Joseph to protect inside, he took advantage. The 6'4" rookie drove the lane for three layups.
"If they would've come up on me I would have kicked it out and made a play for somebody else but when I had the lane, I just tried to get to the rim," he said.
McCullough found the rim too with three inside layups of his own. He finished with 14 points and six rebounds.
"I give myself a C-plus," McCullough said without prompting. "I need to make my free throws."
McCullough was three for eight from the line. But where he lacked in free throws, he made up for in persistent shooting from the field.
Second Half Rally
Arguably the most impressive shooting performance came from sophomore Ron Patterson off the bench. He was 4-5 behind the three point arc which ignited Syracuse's comeback in the second half. With 16:25 on the clock, Patterson hit a three to put Syracuse within one point of the Ravens, 39-38.
The Ravens and the Orange then played cat and mouse for the next five minutes, Patterson scoring three threes during that time until he stole the ball at the 11:20 mark and charged down the court for a dunk to put the Orange ahead 54-52 for the first time since the first minute of the first half.
"When my number's called on, I'm ready," Patterson said. "Coming off the bench, it's just about being ready at all times."
Rakeem Christmas fed off Patterson's hot streak. After spending half of the first period on the bench
due to early foul (3) trouble, Christmas came back strong. He scored all 13 of his points in the second half.
"My teammates just got me excited," Christmas said. "This win gives us momentum."
Final Exhibition
Syracuse is set to take on Adrian for its final exhibition game on Monday, November 10 in the Carrier Dome. The team kicks off the regular season against Kennesaw State on November 14.
No comments:
Post a Comment