Guard play powers SU to win over rival Hoyas

With chants of “Let’s go Orange” coming down from the stands of the Capital One Arena, Syracuse men’s basketball could breathe easy at the end of its 80-68 win over archrival Georgetown on Saturday afternoon. 

The Orange used a strong second half, powered by strong performances from sophomore guards J.J. Starling and Quadir Copeland, to pull away and improve to 7-3 on the season. 

Starling had his best game in a Syracuse uniform, finding his outside shooting touch to finish with 21 points on the afternoon. He finished 8-of-14 from the floor and made all three of his shots from long-range. 

His play was the perfect complement to sophomore guard Judah Mintz, who had a game-high 25 points despite battling foul trouble. He once again made a habit of getting to the free-throw line, sinking 13-of-15 attempts. 

Though the two starting guards were SU’s top scorers, some of Syracuse’s most significant contributions came from the bench. 

Copeland brought his usual energy and contributed a career-high 14 points in 27 minutes. He had a highlight-reel follow-up dunk that put the Orange up 74-60 with under three minutes left. 

Sophomore Maliq Brown came off the bench and got most of the minutes at center, being active at both ends and finishing with eight points and five rebounds. 

When he picked up his fourth foul midway through the second half, Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry inserted Mounir Hima into the game instead of starting center Naheem McLeod. In a rare cameo, Hima contributed four points, three rebounds and a blocked shot. 

After not playing against Cornell, Benny Williams was inserted back into the rotation, failing to score in 11 minutes of action. 

SU executed very well on offense despite ending the afternoon with just seven assists. The Orange shot 54 percent from the field and 5-of-11 from three, a departure from the 32 threes they shot against Cornell. 

The first half started off with a lot of quick scoring as both teams had shooters who were hot from the jump but after an emphasis to put more defensive pressure, both teams cooled off. As the defense picked up, so did the fouls. Both teams had nine fouls in the first half including a technical foul on each side.  

Coming into this game, you could tell by just the starting line-ups that this would be a guard-heavy contest. The players who shined on both sides were the court generals.  

Mintz continued to show everyone in the country why he is ready for the next level with a solid first-half performance. After Autry stressed wanting Mintz to improve defensively, he did that today, sometimes a little too much as foul trouble would become a factor in the second half.  

Both teams began the game executing well on offense but quickly changed as the first half rolled along. Despite enduring a six-minute scoring drought, the Orange still went into the break with a 35-34 lead. 

Georgetown’s Rowan Brombaugh may not have scored in the first half, he was a big reason why Syracuse only had a one-point lead heading into the half with three key steals. 

After trailing in the opening minutes of the second half, it was off to the races for the Orange as they went on an early 9-0 run and maintained a steady lead for the rest of the game. The scoring came from forcing turnovers and capitalizing on rebounds. The Hoyas were happy to shoot from the perimeter but made just 2-of-14 3-pointers in the second half. 

Syracuse scored 20 fast break points and also got 20 points off Georgetown turnovers. Despite allowing 14 offensive boards, the Orange outrebounded the Hoyas 35-33. 

It was the 99^th edition of one of college basketball’s most storied rivalries, with Syracuse now leading the all-time series 54-45. 

A loss to the Hoyas would have been a major blemish on Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament resume. The Orange will look to carry that momentum with them on the road as they face Oregon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Dec 17.