Canes Not Able to Stop a Resurgent Syracuse Offense

Story by Jon Cerio

Photos by Robert Schiff

SYRACUSE, N.Y. --  Boston College may have awoken a sleeping giant.  After an embarrassing loss to the Eagles on New Year's Day, the Syracuse Orange men had more energy on Wednesday night on both sides of the ball, as they put away Miami, 70-55 in the ACC home opener at the Carrier Dome.

The Orange’s 56 percent shooting in its ACC home opener helped outlast the Hurricanes’ eleven three-point baskets.  Andrew White and Tyler Lydon led the way for the Orange with 22 and 20 points, respectively.

“We kept looking to shoot it,” head coach coach Jim Boeheim said.  “Tyler  made a couple of plays inside.  Offensively, we were just a little more aware of what we were trying to do.”

Hot From the Start

It didn’t take long for the Orange offense to start rolling.  After winning the tip, Andrew White hit a jumper for the first basket of the game in just 13 seconds.  Tyus Battle made it 4-0 Syracuse with a jumper of his own on the next possession.

“I thought they were very, very sharp, right from the opening tip,” Miami head coach Jim Larranaga said.  “The first few shots that they hit were exactly the kind of shots we did not want them even shooting – just a pass directly to a shooter.”

Two Can Play That Game

Miami answered with a 10-2 run, consisting of two three-pointers and two dunks, the kind of shots Syracuse didn’t want its opponent shooting,  It was 10-6 Canes after 3:21 of play.

SU center Taurean Thompson got into foul trouble early on, picking up his second personal with 15:40 left in the first half and wasn’t much of a factor in the contest.

A Lydon slam and a Roberson layup tied the game up at 12-12 with 14:08 remaining until halftime.  The Canes weren’t giving up the lead easily, however. 

Eye of the Hurricane

In what’s been a recurring theme for Syracuse this season, an opposing player got hot from downtown.  Miami’s Dejan Visiljevic knocked down a three to give the Canes the edge.  He ended up 6-12 from beyond the arc for 18 points.

Over the course of the next seven minutes, both teams traded makes from deep.  Bruce Brown and Visiljevic connected for the Canes, while John Gillon, Lydon and White each hit one for the Orange. 

At one point, back-to-back threes from Lydon and White got the crowd on its feet.  Visiljevic quieted them down however with a three.  Syracuse led 25-24 with 6:03 to go in the first half.

Getting to the Point

From there, the Orange went on a 7-0 run.  Gillon got it started with a layup, followed by an assist to White.  Gillon and Lydon added three free throws as well during the run.  Syracuse was up 32-24 with 1:32 remaining until halftime.  The Orange went into the locker room still up eight, 34-26.

“I think everybody just had energy,” Andrew White said.  “I know our guards and myself watched some extra tape with Coach G-Mac (Gerry McNamara) and that helped us a little bit more because we were locked in better to personnel, so I know I will ask him for that again.”

Gillon at the point started for Syracuse and didn’t look back.  He was 3-7 from the field and scored eight points, but also added eleven assists and two steals in 39 minutes of action.  Frank Howard ended the night with one minute on the scorecard.

“We just played to get the win,” Tyus Battle said.  “We didn’t worry about our individual stats or anything like that. We flew around on defense, closed on shooters and crashed the boards.”

Second Strong Start

The two Tylers got things going for SU in the second half, first with a Lydon slam, and then a Roberson layup, pushing the lead to 38-28.

Batten Down the Hatches

Kamari Murphy, Vasiljevic, and Brown led the Hurricanes back from the deficit, with a combination of dunks, threes and inside looks.  Miami went on a 14-5 run to cut the Orange lead to 43-42, with 13:03 to play.

Though the Canes pushed back hard, that was the closest they got for the remainder of the contest.  Syracuse responded with a 9-0 run of its own, including back-to-back threes from White to pump up the crowd.  The lead was back to ten at 52-42.

“Our defense was better tonight,” Boeheim said.  “We gave up some open threes, but we did a better job.”

'Lydon' it Up

Vasiljevic and Dewan Huell tried to answer back, but Lydon took the game over for Syracuse.  He scored nine-straight Orange points over the next 2:52, including a Dome-rocking trey and slam on back-to-back drives.  SU was up 61-47 with 7:10 remaining.

“We come to practice every day to work and try to get better,” Lydon said.  “With that being said, I think we were able to accomplish that and it showed today. We just have to keep working hard and move forward.”

Something to Cheer About

The crowd was as energetic as it’s been all year.  There were several instances when the fans got up and cheered their team loudly.  It wasn’t only when the Orange players scored, but when they made hustle plays and key stops as well.

“The crowd was great,” Boeheim added.  “The crowd has been good all year, but I thought they were really good tonight.”

Miami only scored eight more points the rest of the way, with six coming from Ja’Quan Newton.  Syracuse’s 7-0 run from the 4:40 mark put the game away, giving it a 68-51 lead after a Gillon jumper with 2:01 to play.

  

New Year's Resolution

After many were assuming the worst for Syracuse after losing to Boston College on New Year’s Day, it got a much needed win against a tough opponent. 

“Teams have a certain edge when they’re trying to fight back from a loss, and especially, I think, on the road and the way they lost with Boston College making 16 three’s,” Larranaga said.  “I think it made the zone a little bit more active and we didn’t respond very well.”

“We’ve got a long way to go and we have a lot of work to do,” Boeheim said.  “This was a very good first step, but it was just one step.”

Pitt Stop

Syracuse moves to 9-6 on the year, and 1-1 in ACC play.  Miami falls to 11-3, and 1-1 in the conference.  The Hurricanes have a full week to prepare for Notre Dame (13-2, 2-0) at home next Thursday. The No. 23 Irish knocked off No. 9 Louisville on Wednesday night.

Syracuse now looks to build upon Wednesday night's win with another home game against a tough Pittsburgh squad on Saturday.The Panthers (12-3, 1-1 ACC) took down No. 11 Virginia 88-76 in overtime at Pitt Wednesday night.

Photos from Syracuse vs. Miami

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - In its conference home opener, Syracuse defeated Miami, 70-55, at the Carrier Dome on Wednesday night. Here is a look at the game in photos by Robert Schiff. Click on any photo to begin slideshow.

BC soars past Syracuse for first ACC win in over a year

Story and Photos by Jacqueline Mundry

CHESTNUT HILL, MASS. -- Boston College snapped its 19-game conference losing streak with a blowout win against Syracuse to start off 2017. In the first conference game of the season, Boston College (8-6, 1-0 ACC) defeated the Orange men 96-81 Sunday afternoon at Silvio O. Conte Forum.

The Eagles shot 57.1 percent from the field and a stunning 61.5 percent from three-point range, making 16 of 26 attempts.

'The quarterback'

Boston College Head Coach Jim Christian praised his freshman guard Ky Bowman who recorded 30 points and nine assists on the afternoon. Sunday was Bowman's second game this season that he scored 30 points or more. Christian said the former University of North Carolina football commit is becoming the go-to guy for BC basketball.

"He's obviously played unbelievably well in the last four, five games, but that's the way he practiced." Christian. "He just wasn't performing in the game the way we knew he could and we had a conversation where I had to say 'hey listen, you're the guy. You're my guy.' Like the NFL where they say you're the quarterback."

Christian said that conversation was before BC defeated Auburn on Dec. 12 and since then, Bowman has scored in double digits every game.


Bowman said he felt the leadership that comes with the quarterback title during that game.

"I felt like it was easy for me to adjust but during the Auburn game I felt like I really like, was able to like, keep the team together as far as leadership and bringing everyone together as one," he said.

Bowman shot 11-17 field goals and went 7-8 from behind the arc against Syracuse.


Jerome Robinson added 22 points for the Eagles. A.J. Turner had 16 and Nik Popovic eleven.


Defensive struggles

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim was plainly disappointed with his team's performance in the ACC opener, especially on defense.

"We missed a few easy shots early that would have helped us but our defense is just not good right now," he said.

The Orange switched to man-to-man defense in the second half "out of desperation," Boeheim said.

Although Syracuse only hit 38 percent of its field goals and 30 percent from behind the arc, Boeheim hammered home how important defense is.


"If you give guys open shots in college basketball they're gonna make them," he said.  "Against anyone who can shoot at all, our defense has been non-existent."

Sunday's loss to the Eagles was the highest score Syracuse has allowed so far this season, even worse than the 93 points in the loss to St. John's at the Carrier Dome.

Boeheim also said problems on defense will be hard to correct at this point in the season, but the Orange will continue to focus on it in practice.

Eagles keep the handle

Christian said  a huge part of the Eagles game plan was to try not to let Syracuse create turnovers.

"Thirteen turnovers was huge for us because they lead the league in steals. They average ten steals a game so not allowing them to get live ball turnovers that they can convert was a major, major part of the game plan." he said.



Orange Offense

Andrew White III led Syracuse in scoring with 22 and two of his teammates had double-doubles in the losing effort.
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Tyler Roberson put up eleven points and ten rebounds and Tyler Lydon had 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Taurean Thompson chipped in 14 points.

"I don't think we're where we want to be as far as defense and we've got a lot of work to do," Roberson said.

Up next

The ACC season is just getting started for these teams. Boston College will travel to Wake Forest to take on the Demon Deacons on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Syracuse will head home to host Miami on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in hopes of getting its first ACC win of the season.

Lydon's Big Night Helps Orange Men Crush Big Red

Story by Robert Schiff

Photos by Jon Cerio

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - After suffering its worst home loss in the history to St. John's last Wednesday, Syracuse bounced back in its final non-conference game of the season and defeated the Cornell Big Red, 80-56, in front of an announced 20,557 fans at the Carrier Dome on Tuesday night.

"We have a lot of work to do," head coach Jim Boeheim said. "Tonight was a baby, baby step and it doesn't really mean much, but we have to get ready and we've got some time."

Slow Start

Early on, the Orange hardly looked like a team angered by a 33-point loss. After a missed layup by Tyus Battle, Cornell sophomore guard Matt Morgan drilled a three, giving the Big Red an early 8-2 lead with just over two and a half minutes gone by. Morgan connected on his second three of the game with 12:34 to go, breaking a 12-12 tie.

Morgan had ten points for the Big Red.

Turning Point

A Morgan layup with just under five minutes remaining in the first half cut Syracuse's lead to 25-20. A sense of angst hung over the Carrier Dome, as the Orange continued to let Cornell keep the game close. This all changed on one possession.

With Syracuse up five, Tyler Lydon drove down the lane, and missed a runner, but Tyler Roberson followed the miss with a thunderous slam, sending the Orange fans to their feet. The slam not only reinvigorated the crowd, but it gave life to Roberson's teammates as well.

Andrew White hit a layup on the Orange's next possession, and Battle's basket with 2:24 to go in the half capped off an 8-0 run by Syracuse, extending its lead to 13. Lydon hit his third three of the half with just over a minute to go, and Roberson jammed another one home, sending the Orange to the locker room with a 17 point lead at halftime.

Cuse Control

With just over a minute gone by in the second half, Cornell sophomore guard Troy Whiteside nailed a three, cutting Syracuse's lead to 14. That's the closest the Big Red got. Whiteside was high scorer for The Big Red with 13.

Four straight points from Taurean Thompson, followed by two free throws from Andrew White gave the Orange a 20 point cushion with just under four minutes elapsed in the second half. Lydon drained his fourth straight three of the night with 14:15 remaining, making it 57-36, in favor of the Orange. The sophomore led the Orange with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Battle Back

In just his fourth start of the season, freshman Tyus Battle looked like he was right where he belonged. Battle's back-to-back threes gave the Orange a 27 point lead with 12:21 to go. The New Jersey native finished with 16 points on 5-for-11 shooting, going 4-for-7 from behind the arc.

Big Night for the Big Man

Forward Taurean Thompson continued his impressive freshman campaign with another solid offensive performance for the Orange. After only attempting six shots against St. John's, the 6' 10" Thompson had his way against Cornell's defense. Thompson finished with 18 points on 9-for-15 shooting in just 22 minutes. His final jumper of the night came with 6:44 left in the game, extending Syracuse's lead to 30, its largest of the game.

"He is a very, very good offensive player," Boeheim said. He is our best low-post player and it's not even close."

"That loss to St. Johns awakened the fire we had," Thompson said. "That first practice back from break was intense and we are stepping it up and picking each other up."


Not So Fast

The Orange did what it was supposed to do on Tuesday. However, the Orange took a while to get going against The Big Red. Despite the 24 point win, Syracuse only shot 37 percent from the field in the second half, and allowed Cornell to shoot 50 percent in that time frame. But, the Orange took advantage of second chance opportunities, turning 12 offensive rebounds into 18 points. Syracuse also scored 16 fast break points, while shutting out the Big Red.


Looking Ahead

"I just coach them. That’s for you guys (the media), all that stuff," Boeheim said, when asked what he did to motivate the team. "We go to practice. We go to practice every day. If we win 20 in a row, we go to practice the next day. If we lose 20 in a row, we go to practice the next day. That’s it. All the other stuff is nonsense. We don’t win any games talking to people. We win games by playing better. We’re not better. We have to get better."

Syracuse has four days to prepare for its first conference game of the season. The Orange (8-5) will head to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to take on the Boston College Eagles (7-6) this Sunday at 12:30 p.m. eastern.

As for Cornell, the Big Red returned home to Ithaca to prepare for its next game against the University of Massachusetts Lowell on Thursday night at 6 p.m.