70 - 55 You guys...
After suffering a brutal loss on the road Sunday to Boston College, Syracuse turned around to host the Miami Hurricanes tonight from the Carrier Dome. Syracuse played inspired basketball for the entire game, earning a 70-55 victory over the 28th ranked Hurricanes.
Jim Boeheim elected to start John Gillon at the point, superseding Frank Howard. The Orange came out playing with vigor and although it gave up shots to Miami early, the zone clamped down and held the Hurricanes to 26 first half points. Andrew White was aggressive on the offensive end as he hunted shots and finished the half with 13 points. Syracuse closed on a 15-3 run to give itself an eight point lead at the break.
The second half was similar to how the first half ended with Syracuse getting stops on defense and being aggressive on the offensive end. Tyler Lydon was able to get loose when Miami went zone by hitting shots from distance, from 15 feet and finishing around the rim.
Although Syracuse gave Dejan Vasiljevic too many open looks in the zone, the 2-3 was a net positive in tonight’s contest. Miami shot a meager 38.9 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 15 times. Syracuse also won the rebounding battle 30-26.
Tyler Lydon and White led the way 20 and 22 points, respectively. Gillon, who played all but one minute at point, finished just two points shy of a double-double by dishing out 11 dimes. Tyler Roberson chipped in 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
With the win Syracuse now moves to 9-6 overall and 1-1 in the ACC. The Orange will host the Jamie Dixon-less Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday. That game tips at noon from the Dome.
As the ACC tide rises, it has the ability to lift all boats in the conference. It’s up to Syracuse, however, to keep its boat afloat.
