Photo by Jon Cerio
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - After securing its first conference win of the season Wednesday night against Miami, the Syracuse Orange continued its winning ways on Saturday afternoon against Pittsburgh, defeating the Panthers, 77-66, in front of 20,034 fans at the Carrier Dome.Syracuse used solid-shooting and high-energy defense to roar out to a 36-8 lead, then fended off teh Panthers' comeback efforts in the second half for the double digit win that was not as close as the final score indicates.
"The difference in the game was our defense," Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. "The first half was probably some of the best defense we've played since I can't even remember when."
All About the Defense
Coming off of an impressive overtime win at home against 11th ranked Virginia on Wednesday night, the Panthers came into the Carrier Dome on Saturday looking to beat the Orange for the sixth straight time. Syracuse matched and perhaps even increased its intensity from Wednesday's performance against Miami on the defensive end, holding the Panthers to 21 points in the first half, on just 21-percent shooting from the field.
After a disappointing start to the season, Tyler Roberson is starting to find his groove, and has seen his minutes increase. The senior finished with a career-high six blocks against the Panthers - a couple of them generating standing ovations from the Orange faithful in attendance.
"Even when I wasn't playing I tried to watch the game, see what's going on and come to practice and play hard," Roberson said.
Roberson finished with a team-high ten rebounds, to go along with four points.
The Orange also contained the ACC's top two scorers - Jamel Artis and Michael Young - to six points in the first half, on just 2-of-13 shooting.
"They were active," Pittsburgh Head Coach Kevin Stallings said of Syracuse's defense. "We got shots blocked, even when we got the ball where we needed it, they were able to recover and make deflections and blocks."
The Orange held Pittsburgh to just 35 percent shooting (20-57 FG), and only 6-for-19 from behind the arc.
Early Run
After an early 8-0 run by the Orange, Panthers' guard Chris Jones hit a layup to cut Syracuse's lead to 6. That was Pittsburgh's last basket for more than an eight-minute stretch.
The Orange pounced on the Panthers, going on a 22-0 run, beginning with back-to-back three-pointers by Andrew White III. Tyus Battle then drilled two 3s of his own, ballooning the Orange's lead to 28-8 with 9:24 left in the first half.
Consecutive three-pointers from Tyler Lydon and John Gillon put the Orange up by 26, before Battle finished the run with a layup, giving Syracuse that 36-8 lead with 5:27 to go in the half.
Earning His Spot
For the second straight game, Gillon delivered in his starting role at tyhe point for the Orange. The graduate transfer from Colorado State finished with 20 points, going 6-for-12 from behind the arc, and leading the team with 11 assists. Gillon played all 40 minutes for the Orange.
"It gives you a certain confidence that coach has trust in you," Gillon said. "You just go out and play hard because you don't want to let him down."
"Being familiar with the system, and knowing he's going to be in there, his confidence level is up," Boeheim said.
Keeping the Lead from Deep
With his team down by 21, Pitt's leading scorer Jamel Artis tried to get the Panthers back in the game. After a dismal first half (1-6 FG), the senior nailed back-to-back three-pointers, cutting the deficit to 15. Artis finished with a game-high 23 points.
However, the Orange answered right back.
Gillon drilled a three, followed by White connecting from deep, and the Orange's lead was back up to 21 with 16:26 left in the game. Syracuse finished shooting 28-for-54 from the field, with half of its field goals coming from behind the arc.
The Panthers again tried to claw back, as they went on an 8-0 run, capped off by a pair of free throws from Michael Young, cutting Syracuse's lead to 14 with 2:53 to go. Young finished with 17 points for Pittsburgh. However, it was too little, too late for the Panthers.
Gillon's eleventh assist resulted in a Tyler Lydon slam, putting the Orange up 16 with 1:36 left, and sealing the deal for Syracuse.
"It was a really great effort," Boeheim said. "Pittsburgh is a tremendous offensive team. I think one of the best offensive teams in the country. We've got a long ways to go. A lot of work to do. We have to get a lot better. I think, somehow we've got to get Taurean [Thompson] playing better on the defensive end. We have to get Frank [Howard] back involved. Fortunately there's a lot of tough games in this league that you can get a chance to win if you play well. And if we play well, we'll have a chance."
Looking Ahead
The Orange's next test will come Tuesday night, as Syracuse (10-6, 2-1 ACC) heads to Blacksburg, Virginia, looking for its third-straight conference win, taking on the 21st ranked Virginia Tech Hokies (12-3, 1-2). Tipoff is at 7 p.m. The Hokies got hammered by Florida State (15-1, 3-0) in Tallahassee Saturday afternoon, 93-78.
Pittsburgh (12-4, 1-2) will head to Louisville, Kentucky, for a matchup with the 9th ranked Louisville Cardinals (13-3, 1-2). Tipoff is at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
No comments:
Post a Comment