Hoyas Play Spoiler on Pearl Washington Day, Defeat the Orange 78-71

Story by Jon Cerio

Photos by Rob Schiff

SYRACUSE, N.Y. --  Georgetown came into the Carrier Dome to play spoiler on Pearl Washington Day, defeating the Orange 78-71 on Saturday afternoon.  Tyler Lydon’s 12-13 shooting and 29 points couldn’t make up for costly errors down the stretch before a crowd of 25,131.

“If Tyler Lydon doesn’t have an unbelievable game we lose by 15, that’s about what it probably should have been,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said.

Things started pretty well for the Orange.   Andrew White hit the first basket of the game from downtown.  After an Akoy Agau jumper and a Jagan Mosley layup for the Hoyas, Syracuse rattled off an 8-0 run, including baskets from White, Lydon and Taurean Thompson.

Pryor and Peak

In what became a recurring theme, Rodney Pryor and L.J. Peak responded to the Orange run with free throws and a three-pointer.  It was an 11-9 Syracuse lead with 13:55 remaining in the first half.

The next 6:12 was a back-and-forth affair, reminiscent of the Orange-Hoyas rivalry of old.  The Orange started 4 of 7 from beyond the arc.  Threes from John Gillon and Lydon were matched by jumpers from Peak and Marcus Derrickson. 

Free throws make a difference

The Hoyas also connected on four free throws during that stretch.  Known for their prowess from the line, Georgetown did not disappoint, hitting 22-25 for the game.  Syracuse had just as many attempts, but only connected on 14, hurting the Orange down the stretch. 

“We made our foul shots, which was key,” Georgetown head coach John Thompson III said.  “It wasn’t as pretty as we wanted it to be, but guys made enough plays.”

Boards

The Hoyas also won the rebounding battle 41-30, with most of the disparity occurring in the second half.  Some of that could have been due in part to Paschal Chukwu’s absence from the Orange lineup.

He'd been averaging just over four rebounds a game but had emergency retina surgery Saturday morning, and will be out of an Orange uniform for the foreseeable future.

“He’s out for a long time,” said Boeheim said.  “I don’t want to say exactly, but it’s definitely a long time.”

Even at the Half

With 7:00 remaining in the half, the Hoyas went on an 8-0 run of their own, on the backs of Peak, Pryor and Jonathan Mulmore.  John Gillon broke the stretch with a three-point basket with 4:57 remaining in the half, tying the game at 25-25.

For the remainder of the half, Lydon and Taurean Thompson traded scores with Peak and Pryor.  A Peak basket at the buzzer tied things up going into the half, 33-33.  Georgetown had ten turnovers at the break to Syracuse’s seven.

Honoring "Pearl"

At halftime, their was a ceremony to honor the late great Pearl Washington on the court, which included Washington’s family members, and SU Athletics Director John Wildhack unveiling the number 31, painted on display at center court.

Second Half to Hoyas

To start the second half, Peak got things going for the Hoyas with the jumper, and some Akoy Agau free throws put Georgetown up by four.  Lydon and Dajuan Coleman answered back with back-to-back baskets to get fans on their feet.

Over the next 5:12, the Hoyas and Orange traded baskets from multiple players.

After Georgetown center Bradley Hayes connected on his second-straight basket with 13:12 remaining, the Hoyas had built their first two-possession lead at 46-42.

Syracuse never recaptured the lead from that juncture.  The closest the Orange got was within one.  A Frank Howard steal and assist to Gillon with 8:37 remaining in the game made it 53-52.  The Dome was rocking, but not for long, as Jessie Govan answered right back with a layup. 

Lydon Strong but Hoyas Hold On

Seemingly every time Syracuse scored, the Hoyas had an answer.  The Orange again cut it to a one-point lead with a Lydon jumper at 55-54.  He had Syracuse’s next eight points, including a dunk and a three-pointer.  Of his 12-13 shooting performance, he was also 3-3 from deep. But he was just two of five on free throws.

“Everything he did was great,” Boeheim said.  “He played great basketball today. But one guy can’t do it. We’re not getting play out of enough guys.”

Despite Lydon's efforts, Syracuse did not string together more than three points at a time from that stretch until 1:07 was left in the game.  Those baskets came from none other than Lydon himself, first with the slam, and then the lay-in.  It was 69-66 Georgetown, and the crowd was pumped.

However, a Gillon turnover and an Andrew White foul put Rodney Pryor back at the line with 38 seconds remaining.  He connected on the pair, and finished with 20 points, second only to teammate L.J. Peak with 23 points.

The ‘Hack-a-Hoya’ strategy didn’t work out for the Orange, as Georgetown made 9 of it’s 10 free throws in the last 38 seconds of the game. 

The Hoyas went on to win, 78-71, to improve to 7-4 on the season.  The loss for the Orange drops the team to 6-4 on the year.  Syracuse looks to bounce back against Eastern Michigan inside the Carrier Dome on Monday night.

Guard problems

On a day honoring one of the all-time great guards to ever wear an Orange uniform, the guard play for Syracuse was questionable at best.  Frank Howard totaled four points and committed six turnovers.  John Gillon managed 13 points, but only had two assists in 37 minutes of play and repeatedly failed to finish on drives to the basket..

“We’re just not playing well at the guard spot I don’t think at all, “ Boeheim said.  “We’re not getting the ball in the basket from the guard spot; haven’t in any of the four losses.  We’re just not doing enough things right to win the game right now.”