Saturday, January 30, 2016

Orange Ekes Out Tough Win Over Yellow Jackets
















SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Less than 48 hours after beating Notre Dame handily, the Syracuse Orange men  squeezed by the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 60-57 Saturday afternoon at the Carrier Dome.

The Orange (15-8, 5-5 ACC) notched its fifth victory in the last six games despite some sloppy play that may have been the result of playing three times in one week.

The Yellow Jackets (12-9, 2-6 ACC) have now lost four of their last five contests, though Orange coach Jim Boeheim said their record wasn’t indicative of their talent and effort.

“I think Georgia Tech is one of the better teams in the league,” Boeheim said. “I think our schedule was bad and theirs was probably as bad or worse in terms of trying to get off to a good start.”


Unlikely Standouts

With normal standouts Trevor Cooney and Malachi Richardson struggling in the first half, the Orange needed contributions from the rest of the roster. DaJuan Coleman and Frank Howard stepped up big time, both coming up with some of their best play of the season.

Despite fouling out later in the game, Coleman still managed to put up 11 points on four of five shooting from the field while providing strong interior defense.

“I thought DaJuan was tremendous tonight, but he just can’t get his hands on people and get fouls,” Boeheim said. “He had three fouls where there was just very little pressure on guys.”

Coach Boeheim had even higher praise for his freshman guard.

“Frank Howard made some of the best passes we’ve seen in years here,” Boeheim said. “When he stops shooting 10-foot floaters he’ll stay in the game.”

While he only managed a single point, Howard had a team-high six assists, several of which brought the Orange faithful to their feet. It was a much-needed breakout for the young man from Suitland, Md.

“Coach, the last two or three weeks, has really been on me, just trying to get that extra effort out of me and I think it’s been paying off,” Howard said. “I’ve watched a lot more film to know where I can pick my spots.”

Sloppy Second-Half

After a Tyler Lydon three-pointer tied the game going into the half, both teams came out rather sluggish. A combination of poor shooting and stout defense from both sides led to some underwhelming basketball.

Boeheim acknowledged that some of the players, particularly Cooney (seven points), were likely suffering from tired legs.

“We played hard for the whole game against Notre Dame and then you’re coming back Saturday, noon… that’s a tough turnaround,” Boeheim said.


Richardson Clutch at the End

At the end of a tight game it was the freshman Richardson who proved to be the difference, coming up with a key steal in the final seconds and nailing three pivotal free throws.

“I just wanted to have a nose for the ball, anywhere it was, I wanted to go get it,” Richardson said. “End of the game, it’s very important for us to get the ball in situations like that. That eliminates them from getting second-chance opportunities or scoring.”

Richardson finished the day with 13 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Game Notes

Michael Gbinije had to exit the game momentarily after catching a finger to the eye from a Georgia Tech player. He returned quickly, however, almost immediately connecting on a left corner three and finished as the game’s leading scorer with 16 points. Forward Nick Jacobs led Georgia Tech with 14.

The Orange struggled from both the three-point (6-18) and free throw (12-21) lines, though they continued to excel at defending the three, limiting the Yellow Jackets to 28 percent shooting from deep.

Up Next


The Orange will host the Virginia Tech Hokies (12-9, 4-4 ACC) on Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 8:00 p.m. The game will be available on the ACC Network.

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