90 - 61 Have yourself a day, Mr. White!
Well, that’s one way to go out on top.
Andrew White III had a field day against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets as he set a career-high in points with 40. White finished 12-of-16 from the floor, as he drilled eighth of his nine three-point attempts to lead the Syracuse Orange to a resounding 90-61 win. The victory was a much-needed one for SU, who finished the season with an 18-13 overall record (10-8 in the ACC).
Senior Day is always an emotional one for those players participating in their final home game, but White wouldn’t let the moment get to him as his attacking play created an easier game for himself and his teammates. Instead of settling for contested threes, which this team (especially White) has done all year long, the 6-foot-7 guard/forward was able to get in the lane and create high percentage looks for himself.
No one was doubting White’s ability to stroke it from deep, but when you’re in a slump like White, (he was 4-of-14 from deep over the last few games), it’s smart to get shots near the rim to find your rhythm again. White’s first half aggression gave the Orange a 12-point lead, but knowing the inconsistency this team has shown throughout the year, no lead was safe.
Then came the real Andrew White III.
White scored 29 of his 40 points in the second half, as his ability to get in the lane opened up space for him from deep. He got in a rhythm to a point where it seemed as if he couldn’t miss — and he wouldn’t. Heat check after heat check, White wouldn’t miss and the Orange wouldn’t lose.
This Syracuse basketball team relies heavily on the three-ball, and with White as hot as ever, the Orange find themselves in a good spot going into the conference tournament. The Orange find trouble when their offense consists of late contested threes and stagnant motion. When the guards are penetrating and finding open shooters, like they were today, this team is hard to beat on any given day.
So what’s next? Well, Syracuse now finds themselves in ACC tournament play with a resume that showcases three quality top-10 (at the time) wins. Syracuse shouldn’t stop now as a quality win or two (two would be amazing) would help their resume even more.
Despite all the things to look forward to, today was a day of celebration for the Syracuse seniors as they wrapped up their career in the Carrier Dome. Andrew White III gave the Orange fans a show like no other; one that the fans and White should carry a memory of for a long time.
