Roberson, Orange Fend Off Phoenix 66-55

Story by James Anderson

 

Photo by Lena Pringle

Syracuse, NY. - In a game controlled by runs and swings of ups and downs, it was the consistent play of Tyler Roberson that guided the Syracuse Orange on Saturday night.

Roberson scored a career-high 20 points and pulled in 16 rebounds, as the Orange (3-0) fended off the Elon Phoenix (2-2) 66-55 at the Carrier Dome in a Battle 4 Atlantis matchup.  

The Orange held off the Phoenix several times in the game, including late in the second half; with its lead reaching a game-high 13. Elon went on a 7-0 run with 2:13 to go, to bring it within 61-55 but the Phoenix did not score again, running dry to finish and securing a Syracuse victory.

Roberson, the 6’8’' junior from Union, New Jersey, made his presence felt on the score sheet and down low in the trenches.

"You know, the opportunities are there for him, he's just gotta keep looking for them," Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said after the game.

"I mean, we're getting penetration, his man is helping, he's got a clear route to the basket to get the rebound. I think he got six or seven offensive rebounds, and that's his best way to be productive." 

Back and Forth First Half

Looking to avoid duplicating the bad start from Tuesday against St. Bonaventure, the Orange leaped out of the gate and took control early with a 14-4 run in the first 6:30 to open things up.

Senior guard Michael Gbinije looked to be making a case for star of the game early, scoring six of those 11 with 2 knock–down threes. But he ran into foul trouble, picking up two fouls in the first six minutes, and his third with about eight minutes left in the first half, stunting his momentum and bringing him to the bench.

"Mike's way too important to us," Boeheim said. "He cannot get into foul trouble, we really need him to be on the court. It just makes us a different team."

Elon battled back from the double-digit deficit, something the Phoenix repeated through most of the contest, and took its first lead, 20-19 with 3:55 left in the half.

Dainan Swoope dropped in 2 of his 4 three-pointers during the sequence, though his attempts far outweighed his makes, shooting 4 for 14 from three, and 4 for 17 on the night overall.

Syracuse again broke off a run to regain the lead before halftime, and it was Roberson who took control, with a couple of baskets driving into the lane, part of a 10-0 run. Swoope struck for his third 3 to stop the roll, but Syracuse carried a 29-23 lead into halftime. Roberson had 14 of his 20 in the first half.

"We're gonna play teams that are just gonna dare us to shoot sometimes, behind the paint, but today getting to the rim was more effective, especially with the way the game was being called, so we wanted to put the pressure on them." Gbinije said after the game.

Phoenix Comes Out Strong for Second Half, Orange Regroups

Elon did not take the late Syracuse first half run lying down, however, and came out of the break swinging. Brian Dawkins made an impact, scoring six straight Phoenix points to open, and freshman Malachi Richardson answered for the Orange, breaking off five of his 13 points on the night.

For Richardson, the free-throw line was home: 10-12 at the line, with a three-pointer his only made attempt away from the stripe. 

Elon tied it up and then took the lead five minutes into the second half, erasing the nine point lead the Orange built up, SU's second blown lead of the game.

"Defensively, we're good for the most part, but you know, we had some breakdowns in the 2nd half, and they were smart, they moved the ball, they were patient," Boeheim said.

Luke Eddy and Trevor Cooney traded three-pointers as they jockeyed for control, but yet again, a 10-0 run put Syracuse back in front, this time for good. Another Swoope three stopped the roll at 47-42 with 10:52 to go, but the damage was done.

Orange Regains Tempo and Closes

That was as close as Elon drew to Syracuse, as the Orange pulled away from that point, capped with a 14-6 sequence that saw Gbinije reappear and share the game spotlight with Roberson. 

Roberson put up his 19th and 20th points with a jump shot, and directly after the Phoenix inbound  Gbinije stole the ball and made it rain with a three-ball for a quick five-point flurry, giving the Orange a nine point advantage at the 9:12 mark, 54-45. Gbinije finished with 16 points and six rebounds for his night, after the foul-troubled first half.

Two more free-throws from Richardson and a Cooney layup, and Syracuse held its biggest lead at 13. The Phoenix tried to break out of it, scoring seven straight. It was a sequence more notable for Syracuse using long offensive possessions with no points to show, but taking up 4:10 of game time for the 7-0 Elon "run".

The Phoenix missed several shots to close out, and the Orange benefitted from Elon being in the double-bonus, compounding every missed Elon shot. 

"I mean, we've played three better teams than we normally do starting the season, I believe," Cooney after the game. "But no, there's always room for improvement. I mean, we've won three games, which is good, but we learned a lot for these three games, but we know we got to be better."
 

Notes and Notables

Syracuse has been notable for its three-point attempts so far in the young season, but it was Elon that came out guns blazing...and mostly missing. 

Elon held the advantage in makes from behind the arc, 8 to 6. However, the Phoenix had more than double in attempts, 33 to the Orange's 15. In fact, a shift was felt towards the end of the first half after the 6-0 run that saw penetration to the lane, shifting away from the 2 for 8 start from three in the half. ..

After the game, the focus turn towards the Bahamas, as the Orange will continue its Battle 4 Atlantis run traveling down later this week.

"It'll definitely be good to get down there, there's a lot of good competition, obviously we'd like to have some fun, but it's a business trip when we get down there, so all the guys are really focused right now, and I think it'll be really good for us." Syracuse freshman forward Tyler Lydon said.

Cooney finished with 8 points on the night, leaving him just shy of 1,000 points for his collegiate career. It looks like he will set the mark away from home, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Coming Up

As mentioned, the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament awaits both squads, though only the Orange will be traveling to the Bahamas. Syracuse will take on Charlotte (1-2) Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 25th. Elon, however, will be hosting the "mainland" bracket of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, taking on Mount Saint Mary's (0-4) Thanksgiving day.

The Orange will face Connecticut or Michigan on Thanksgiving Day and then play a third game on Friday when the opponent will be Gonzaga, Washington, Texas or Texas A&M.