Orange scoring attack, defense stifles Boston College
Orange shooting, defense stifles Boston College
Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said after his team’s season-opening loss to Virginia that it would take 10-15 games for this team to look like a team that competes. Wednesday night in the Carrier Dome was game 17 of the season and the Orange dominated.
It was ugly at first. After 5 minutes, the score was just 3-1. But then, the game that was ugly for both teams turned ugly for just one. The Orange went into the second TV timeout leading 11-7. They then closed out the first half on a 27-6 run leading 38-13 after 20 minutes.
The Eagles shot 0-14 from 3 and under 30 percent from the field in that first half and were outscored by Buddy Boeheim alone, who finished the first half with 15 points.
In the second half, it was a much more even contest, but the Eagles were in far too deep of a hole to climb out of.
If you spot any college team 25 points, they’re more than likely going to come away with the win, and the Orange did that with ease. Buddy Boeheim led the Orange with 22 points, making four three-pointers
Rising confidence
The Orange entered today’s game after upsetting the defending national champions Virginia in Charlottesville. The Orange are playing much better now than earlier in the year when they were mostly uncompetitive in games. After the game, Coach Boeheim said, “We’re better than we were early, guys are getting more comfortable.” and it shows. Freshman guard, Joe Girard III, had 12 points tonight, going 3-4 from three. Girard had 4 turnovers, but Coach Boeheim says that can be fixed and he is still only going to get better at protecting the ball. Even better has been the addition of Howard Washington in spurts in the rotation. He certainly expected more minutes than he has seen this season but recently, when he has been on the floor, he has been a positive for the Orange. In 13 minutes, he recorded 3 steals and was a big reason the Orange held the Eagles to just 13 points. But who could forget Buddy Boeheim, who looks like he’s really come into his own this season. He has added elements to his game and he looks more and more confident every time he steps on the floor.
Starts on defense
The Orange held the Eagles to just 13 points in the first half, and for a team that prides itself on a stifling 2-3 zone, that number has to make Coach Boeheim smile. He downplayed it after the game, but holding any college team to 13 points is impressive. The Eagles did miss some good looks, but the defense of the Orange did not make life easy for Boston College.
Hughes holding it down
Elijah Hughes was calm, poised, and proved why he deserves to be considered for postseason accolades regardless of the team’s record. He scored 19 points and tallied 5 assists en route to the team’s 10th win of the season. The Orange have often relied on him for timely buckets and time and time again he has delivered. While today’s game was never really in doubt, he was smooth and made his presence felt on both ends of the floor. He will continue to be asked to do a lot for this team and he says he looks forward to that challenge. He knows better than anyone that the ACC is a gauntlet regardless of who has a good record and who doesn’t.
What’s next
Syracuse will travel to Blacksburg on Saturday to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in another ACC showdown. It’s a tough place to play, but the Orange are headed in the right direction. Tip-off is set for noon.
is a contributor to the NewsHouse.
is a photographer for The NewsHouse.
