Orange Men Suffer First Loss of Season Against South Carolina

Brooklyn, N.Y. - After giving up two quick threes to start the game, and committing four turnovers in the first two and a half minutes, the Syracuse University Orange never recovered, suffering its first defeat of the season at the hands of South Carolina, 64-50, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday afternoon.

The Orange struggled all afternoon, never quite looking comfortable in the final game of the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational. Syracuse turned the ball over 17 times, a season high, thanks to a swarming South Carolina defense that frustrated the Orange for the majority of the game. Frank Martin's squad held the Orange to 35 percent from the field (14-44). 

"That's as good a defense as we've seen in a long time," Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. "They were really, really good, defensively."

"I pride myself defensively," South Carolina head coach Frank Martin said. "It's taken us four years to recruit a team that has all the parts to play good defensively.

Foul Play

Syracuse's starting point guard Frank Howard had committed two quick fouls with less than four minutes gone by in the first half. Backup guard John Gillon came in but looked uncomfortable from the get-go. The graduate transfer from Colorado State committed five turnovers, and only took one shot in 28 minutes. 

Centers Not Showing Up

Big men Dajuan Coleman and Paschal Chukwu were ineffective down low - a primary reason why the Gamecocks outscored the Orange 30-8 in the paint. 

"I don't think our centers got the job done today," Boeheim said. "Our best offensive team is with Tyler Lydon at center, and that's what it's going to be unless we get more production. "

Bright Spot 

In the second half, with his team down 40-28, sophomore Lydon (18 points, 7 rebounds) caught fire, scoring the first eight points for the Orange, and cutting South Carolina's lead to six with 16:20 left in the game. But Lydon didn't score again.

With 10:34 left in the game, South Carolina'a P.J. Dozier (15 points, 10 rebounds) hit a jumper, extending his team's lead to 51-43. Both teams were then held scoreless for four minutes, until Syracuse's Andrew White III hit a three from the baseline with 6:34 remaining.

The Gamecocks answered with a 6-0 run over the next three and a half minutes, capped off with a Maik Kotsar layup that sealed the deal for South Carolina. 

A Thorn in the Orange's Side

Coming off of three straight games with at least 20 points, South Carolina guard Sindarius Thornwell only took 6 shots from the field, but made crucial free throws down the stretch, going 9-10 from the stripe and finishing with 16 points. The 6-5 senior was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational. 

Looking Ahead

The Orange men will play their first true road game of the season on Tuesday night at 7:30, as Syracuse (4-1) heads to Madison to play the Wisconsin Badgers (4-2).  The Gamecocks (6-0) will host Vermont on Thursday night at 6:30.